Burning Heart
by eiahmon
Summary: Nomura has stated that now that his Heartless and Nobody have been destroyed, Master Xehanort will be reborn. What if he is reborn, but not in the way everyone thinks?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer; Disney and Square owns it all; I only wish I did. Why in the hell cant I come up with these wickedly cool characters and twisted plots? Why?**

**A/N: Xehanort is such a magnificent bastard, but this bunny came to me in a dream and wouldn't go away. I blame it on a clip from Birth By Sleep where he looks at Braig, looking all sad and confused. If parts of it seem a bit weird, it's because I'm trying to stay as faithful to the dream as possible.**

**A/N: This fic was a rush job, to try and get rid of an idea that just refused to go away, so it's quality may not be as good as my normal writing. i intend to sometime go back and fix it up a bit, but for now I just want it written and done.**

**1.**

He was surrounded by darkness, drowning in it, consumed by it, unable to free himself from it.

_Where am I?_

He struggled to see something, anything, that would tell him where he was, but there was nothing, no light and no sound. He could feel no air on his face, so sound moved across his ears. He was suspended in a void of nothingness; he was unable to see anything, not even himself.

But then... There! A tiny pinprick of light appeared ahead of him, so faint and so far away. He longed for it, and no sooner had the desire coursed though him than he noticed that he seemed to be moving towards it. He moved achingly slow as if he were wading through chest deep water, and he was suddenly filled with terror that the tiny light would wink out before he could reach it, forever trapping him in the darkness that surrounded him. But the tiny light glowed steadily, even as he struggled to reach it. Fatigue clawed at him, and the further he pressed on, the more he wished to simply lie down and forget the light, but he refused. Doing so, he knew, would not end well for him at all. He did not know how he knew, only that it was so.

The tiny light glowed brightly, acting as a beacon, propelling him forward. Yet the closer he moved to it, the harder it became to keep going. It was like something did not want him to reach the light ahead. How much time had passed since he had first seen it? He did not know. It could have been months, years, or mere days. Time had no meaning in the void which trapped him.

… _very ill... _

He was startled as whispered voices began to fall on his ears, though he could sense no single direction form whence they came. They seemed to surround him, though they steadily grew in volume as he neared the light, which was now much larger, though it was so bright, he couldn't see anything beyond it.

… _may not survive..._

More whispered fell upon his ears as he moved ever closer to the light, and they grew even more in volume, as the struggle to reach it became nearly impossible. He was so close! He could almost reach out and touch it! He gave one last push forward and reached out with one shaking arm as he noted vaguely that he could see himself for the first time. It felt as though something was trying to pull his hand back, but he kept reaching forward.

He touched the light.

There was a flare that blinded him, and a loud roaring filled his ears as the darkness began to scatter.

"He's waking up!"

The voice, which sounded young, echoed loudly in his head, and he moaned weakly in pain, as he felt himself rising, like he was swimming upward through deep water. The bright light spread outward in all directions, driving the darkness back.

"Hush, Yuta." said a second voice, which was that of a woman "Run and fetch the doctor, and take Alexander with you."

"Yes, Mama."

He moaned again, and he felt something cool touch his forehead. "Hush, child. You'll feel better soon."

_Child? I am a child?_

He didn't know; he couldn't remember, and that led him to another, more important question.

_Who am I?_

Footsteps. "He has awakened, it seems." said another, male, voice "Can you hear me?"

The only sound he was able to make was another pain filled moan as all the voices bounced around in his throbbing head. The pain was radiating down his neck and outward into his shoulders, and his stomach churned angrily. He felt a cool hand touching his forehead and smoothing his hair back, which strangely seemed to dull the pain some.

"Can you open your eyes?" said the woman's voice, and he felt a damp cloth wipe across them, wiping away the crust and accumulated gunk that had collected there from a long sleep, though he didn't know how long he had been asleep or why he had slept so long. His eyelids felt as though they were weighted down, but he was able to force one eye open a tiny crack, which afforded him a brief glimpse of a brightly lit room, and the blurred outlines of two people before the painful brightness forced him to close the eye again.

An arm came behind his shoulders, and he was gently pulled up into a sitting position, and his aching head was laid against a shoulder. The light that he could see through his eyelids dimmed.

"Open your eyes again, little one." the woman's voice said softly, and his response was to hide his face in the shoulder that his head was lying against.

There was a chuckle coming from the other man in the room, and then: "I would imagine he has quite the headache." A second later, he cried out weakly in protest as a pair of fingers fastened onto his eyelids and forced first his left eye, then his right eye, open, one at a time. The light, dimmer than before, but still painfully bright to him, pierced his skull like a lance.

"Hurts." he managed to whimper, and the fingers released his eyelids, allowing him to close them against the painful light.

"Do you know where you are?" the male voiced asked again, and he was just barely able to shake his head, though even that small movement sent a bolt of pain down his neck into his back and shoulders.

"Do you know the year?'

Another tiny shake.

"Do you know what happened to you?"

Another shake.

"Can you tell me your name?"

A pause and then...

"I... I don't know."

"You don't know? Can't you remember?"

"No."

"Can you recall anything? Where you came from, your parents' names, anything?"

He thought for a moment, though it was difficult to do so with the throbbing in his head. "No." He opened his eyes for a brief moment and sent a pleading glance at the woman whose shoulder he was leaning against. "Why can't I remember?" He squeezed his eyes shut and hid his face again. "Who... am I?

"You've been very ill, young man," said the male voice "and we feared that you weren't going to make it. You ran a very high fever for several days, and it broke only last night. That might explain why you can't remember anything. As you rest and heal, your memories may return to you. For now that is what I want you to do. I want you to stay in that bed and rest. Let's worry about getting you better, then we will worry about finding your family and home."

He felt himself being laid back down, and he gratefully sank into the soft mattress beneath him. He heard the man and woman speaking softly to each other as warm blankets were pulled up to his neck and patted around his shoulders.

"Rest, child." The gentle voice fell upon his ears as he felt into a natural sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer; Disney and Square owns it all; I only wish I did. Why in the hell cant I come up with these wickedly cool characters and twisted plots? Why?**

**A/N: For the record, it's pronounced "Zavier" not "X-zavier" in this fic. XD And yes, I know how old Xehanort is; I'm just chosing to ignore it for creative reasons. ;)**

**2.**

"Xavier!"

The young white haired man looked up from the papers he had been writing on just in time to see a young boy with wild brown hair and sparkling eyes of the same color as he came running through the open doorway. He smiled a warm smile at the ever cheerful, bouncy ball of energy that he considered a little brother.

"What is it, Yuta?"

"Mama wants to know what you want for dinner tonight, since it's your birthday. And she also wants to know when you'll be home."

Xavier smiled again. "She knows what my favorites are, and let her know that I'll be home in just few minutes."

"Okay!" Yuta dashed out the door, and Xavier shook his head in amusement at the child's antics as he began putting things away in preparation to head home.

It was two years to the day that he had been found, unconscious and convulsing from a blazing high fever outside of town by Yuta's older brother Masa. Masa had managed to carry him to his parents' house, where he, Xavier, had lain for several days, unresponsive, before the fever broke. He had been as weak as a kitten, but Masa and Yuta's parents, Elissa and Jascha, had patiently nursed him back to health over many days and weeks. Despite everyone's best efforts though, his memory had not returned.

Unable to remember where he had come from or who he had once been, Elissa and Jascha had welcomed him into their family and home, gave him the name of Xavier, and soon everyone within the small world of Haven's Bridge considered him their adopted son. His age was estimated to be approximately 25 or so, which made him one year younger than Masa, and three years older than their second son, Akim. Their third son, Heras, was 19 at the time. Their fourth son, Jachin was 14, Yuta was 10, and Alexander, the baby of the family, was one. His new brothers had welcomed him with open arms, and they had dragged him off to join in their various forms of mischief making as soon as he had been able to leave the house.

Xavier, after making sure everything was in order, grabbed his jacket from the coat rack and slipped it on as he stepped out the door, locking it behind him. The short walk from the small building that served as the world's only hospital to the home of his adopted family was a welcome time to think and enjoy one last bit of silence and alone time before he stepped into the bright rowdiness of his new home. With all of their children, even the grown ones, still living at home to better tend to the family's massive farm, things were never quiet or dull in the house. Each person had their own room and space, but the rest of the house was often filled with laughter, jokes, and music.

Xavier had also helped out on the farm once he had been well enough, though he hadn't had a clue on what to do at first. After a short while, the family had quickly took note of his love of books and sharp mind, and within a few weeks he had been approached by Taylor, the world's only doctor, and asked if he was interested in an apprenticeship. He had jumped at the chance to work with the doctor that had helped save his life, and the following day he had began going with the doctor on his rounds, learning as he went. After two years, he was nearly done with the apprenticeship, but the two would continue to work together, and once Taylor passed on, Xavier would find his own apprentice to teach. But that latter part was still many years away. Dr. Taylor may be old, but he was far from being too old to work.

By the time Xavier reached the grass covered cobblestone path that led to the front door of the family's large farmhouse, he could already hear the merriment from inside. He opened the door and was greeted by the sounds of music from the den, laughter from the dining room, and cooking from the kitchen. Jascha was pounding out the tunes on the piano, and from the sounds of it, Masa and Heras were singing along. He could hear the clattering of crockery and conversation in the dining room, and he was able to pick out Akim and Yuta's voices as they set the table for dinner. He could also hear Alexander giggling in the kitchen; he was obviously "helping" Mama out with the cooking.

He stepped inside and shut the door behind him. "I'm home!" he announced as he kicked his boots off and hung his jacket up. He heard a squeal: "Xav'er!" and a blond haired, red clad blur came streaking out of the kitchen and collided with his legs. With a grin, he reached down and tickled Alexander's neck, making the child squeal in delight, before the boy ran back to the kitchen. Xavier followed him, and he stepped into the kitchen to see Elissa standing in front of the stove, cooking up a big pot of chicken and dumplings. He stepped up behind her and wound his arms around her waist before he planted a small kiss on her cheek. She smiled before she put her stirring spoon down, and he dropped his arms as she turned around to face him.

She stood up on her tip toes to kiss him on the forehead. "Happy birthday, child."

During his long recovery, Elissa had been a constant presence at his bedside. Jascha had also been a frequent visitor, but Elissa had rarely left his side, even if it meant sleeping in the rocking chair in his room. She had sat with him through the fever dreams, the nausea, the pounding headaches and excruciating muscle aches, and the long nights where he was simply too uncomfortable to sleep, even as his body cried out for rest. It was also she that held him and soothed him as tears of frustration ran down his face as he struggled to remember anything about his past and came up empty time and time again. She was also the one that had told him that he was her son in all but blood, and, if they never found his family or home, he would always have a home and family with them.

She gave him a tight squeeze and then shooed him out of the kitchen, where Yuta and Akim pounced on him and dragged him to the place of honor at the head of the dining table. Normally Jascha sat there, but on their birthdays, or anniversary in Xavier's case, they were allowed to sit there for the day. The fine china was set out – which seemed to only be used for birthdays and major holidays – and Yuta returned in short order with the mashed potatoes, while Alexander proudly carried the bread and butter. A moment later, Elissa appeared with the main course. As if my some unseen, unheard signal, the music in the den stopped, and a few seconds later, Jascha, Masa, and Heras appeared and sat down around the table.

The meal was simple, yet filling, and everyone took second helpings, and Akim would have taken a third helping if his mother hadn't reminded him to leave room for cake. No one objected to that; Elissa's cakes were legendary throughout Haven's Bridge, and she was often commissioned to make specialty cakes for some occasions.

"The faster the table is cleared, boys," Jascha said with a grin as he leaned back in his chair "the faster your mother can bring Xavier's cake out."

Xavier had to laugh as he watched Masa, Heras, and Yuta clear the plates and uneaten food away in record time, and in short order, Elissa brought the cake out and sat it down on the table in front of him. The candles – 27 of them – were lit, and "Happy Birthday" was sung.

"Make a wish!" Yuta shouted in excitement, and Xavier grinned at him, before he closed his eyes -

_I wish I knew who I really was. _

_- _and blew out all the candles in a single breath. The rest of the family clapped and cheered, and Elissa wasted no time in cutting and handing out the cake, which was chocolate with cherry filling. Xavier was given the biggest piece, and he wasted no time in doing it justice, as did the others.

Once there were only crumbs on their plates, the rest of the cake was put away for later, while Yuta and Heras cleared the table. Then it was time for presents. In honor of his nearly completed apprenticeship, all of his gifts were medical themed.

Yuta proudly presented him with a stethoscope that he had saved up for for "an entire month!", while Alexander shyly gave him a glass bottle that was filled with different layers of colored sand and affixed with a label that said 'Remains of problem patient.". The rest of the family had clubbed together to buy the materials to make him a really nice lab coat, which Elissa had then sewed together by hand.

"Try it on!" Masa called, and soon he was joined by the others "Try it on! Try it on!"

So he stood up from the table, and slipped the coat on over his clothes to the applause of his brothers and smiles of his parents. He couldn't keep the wide smile off of his face as he stood there.

"We'll make a doctor out of you yet!" Akim yelled, and everyone had a good chuckle as he sat back down. Alexander immediately claimed his lap, and they all sat around the table talking for a bit longer before they started to trickle off to bed. Alexander refused to go to Elissa so she could put him to bed so Xavier ended up carrying him to his room, dressing him in his pajamas, and tucking him into bed.

"G'night, Xav'er." the toddler said sleepily "Luv you."

Xavier smiled and gently brushed the child's blond hair back from his face and kissing him on the cheek. "I love you too, Alexander. Good night."

With a soft sigh, the child's breathing settled into the easiness of sleep, and Xavier turned around to leave the room, when he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. Frowning in puzzlement, he turned towards the window and walked towards it. What had he just seen?

There!

"What in the world?" he breathed as he stared through the mullioned glass as the pair of bright yellow eyes that were staring back at him from the shadows by the barn. He could see no body attached to them eyes, and he shivered in sudden cold as they blinked and then vanished as if they had never been there. He spent an anxious few minutes looking for them before he was interrupted.

"Xavier?"

He turned from the window to see Elissa standing there. "Is everything all right?"

"Everything's fine, just..." He looked back out at the barn and saw nothing. "I guess I was seeing things."

_Xehanort..._

He shivered as he walked away from the window, and Elissa caught him for a hug at the door, before he went off to find his own bed. The day started early on a farm, and he had his own chores to do before heading out to meet Dr. Taylor for the day.

Still as he laid down in his bed and nestled down under the blankets, he could not forget those eyes, staring at him, and he was suddenly overcome by a sense of dread, that things were about to go horribly wrong.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer; Disney and Square own it all; I only wish I did. Why in the hell cant I come up with these wickedly cool characters and twisted plots? Why?**

**3.**

_Xehanort!_

Xavier sat up in bed, gasping and drenched in a cold sweat. As he tried to catch his breath in the dark room, he dimly registered a blue white flash outside the window, followed by the distant rumble of thunder. A few seconds later, the first drops of rain began to pat against the glass.

A strong sense of foreboding and dread had awoken him, and he tried to convince himself that it was the lingering remnant of an unremembered nightmare, but it wasn't working. He spent the next several minutes trying to relax and go back to sleep with no success, before giving it up as impossible. Maybe he could sneak down to the kitchen and get a glass of milk and a couple of cookies. Maybe that would calm him down. But he had barely a chance to throw the blankets back when the entire household was roused.

Alexander screamed, and the sheer terror contained in the sound sent chills racing up and down Xavier's spine, and he leapt out of bed and ran to the boy's room, the rest of the family right behind him. What was waiting for them inside the door made them all stop and stare in horrified shock.

Alexander was huddled in the corner of the bed, curled up with his knees to his chest, his eyes squeezed shut, and screaming in terror. Around him on the floor were small black creatures that were just barely visible in the darkness of the room. The only parts of them that were easily seen were their glowing yellow eyes. Xavier and the other stared in horrified fascination for a long moment, before one of the creatures clambered up into Alexander's bed, which prompted the boy to scream again as he tried to squeeze himself even further into the corner.

An angry bellow from behind him startled Xavier out of his shock, as Jascha charged into the room in defense of his youngest. He used his bare hands to swat the creatures away, but they didn't stay back long. There was a pause as he scooped Alexander up into his arms, and then the creatures began to swarm him. They clambered up his legs, and he tried to kick them away, but they tangled his ankles. Just before he lost his balance and fell, he tossed Alexander to Xavier.

"Run!" he screamed as his hit the floor "Get out of the house!" And then Jascha disappeared under the writhing mass of black. A second later, a sparkling red light in the shape of a heart rose from where he was, and the creatures scattered to reveal that he had disappeared. Elissa screamed in horror and ran forward, to do what no one knew, but Akim and Heras held their mother back and began to pull her down the hall in the general direction of the stairs to the lower floor. Xavier stared at the spot where the man that had practically adopted him as a son had been for a moment before Masa's hand came down on his shoulder and began to tug him away from the room. With one last look at the creatures filling the room, Xavier ran down the hallway, down the stairs, and towards the front door, Alexander's hysterical cries ringing in his ears as he went. Masa was right behind him at first, but by the time Xavier ran out of the front door into a raging storm, he noticed that Masa had not followed.

"Masa? Masa!" Elissa had evidently also noticed, and it was only Akim and Heras' firm grip on her arms as well as Yuta clinging to her that kept her from running back into the house. Through the windows and the door that they had left open behind them, all of them could see the shadowy things crawling over the walls and furniture, their glowing eyes staring at them through the windows. As they stared in horrified fascination, the structure groaned in protest, and the roof began tearing off, followed quickly by the walls. If Masa was inside, he was most certainly gone. Elissa screamed in horror, and Akim took charge and began herding them all away from where the house had once stood towards the center of town.

On the way they met encountered other residents of the small world, and Xavier couldn't help but notice the amount of people that were missing. During his rounds with Dr. Taylor, he had met nearly everyone in town, and he was aware more than anyone else just how many people were absent, including Dr. Taylor himself. Everyone told similar stories; their homes invaded by dark creatures with glowing yellow eyes, people that were attacked by them disappearing without a trace, and buildings floating off their foundations and coming apart. Even the ground around them was cracking, breaking away, and rising into the darkened sky, towards an enormous ball of dark light that hovered in the sky. It was dark red in the center, which darkened to purple and then black at it's outer edges, with lightning flickering around it.

Xavier stared at it with wide eyes, unable to breathe at the mere sight of it, and around him the crowd fell silent as the others noticed it too. No one moved or said a word; they only stared. Even Alexander, still held tightly in Xavier's arms, was silent. The dark wind roared around them, carrying dust, dirt, and debris from the destroyed structures, but no one moved.

Xavier didn't know how or why, but, watching the orb above him, he was struck by a feeling of familiarity, like he had seen such a thing before. He shook his head to try and clear the sudden feeling of dizziness that hit him, but that only seemed to make it worse. The ground tilted below him – was he falling? No wait, that was just the ground beneath him heaving up, how silly of him to think otherwise. Alexander was snatched out of his arms, and he felt someone grab a hold of him and pull him to the side onto ground that wasn't moving. He turned his head to thank whoever, just in time to see, Akim, with Alexander in his arms, vanish under a large number of Heartless -

_Heartless?_

that seemingly appeared from and jumped on them. Xavier was able to catch a glimpse of Akim's wide, horrified eyes, and then they were gone. Alexander screamed from somewhere beneath them, and Xavier felt something inside of him break. He held his right arm in front of him, while having no idea why, and there was a flash of light that was similar to the orb in the sky, and the strangest weapon he had ever seen appeared in his hand.

_Keyblade..._

_Keyblade..._

_Keyblade..._

The whispers filled his mind as the dark creatures stared at him, and he turned to where Alexander was still screaming under the mass of Heartless as rage filled his heart. Snarling, he charged at the Heartless, swinging the strange weapon, striking at them, and they disappeared into black puff of dust, leaving Alexander, still screaming but otherwise unhurt, on the ground. There was no sign of Akim.

Alexander was snatched up by his mother, and Xavier was suddenly aware of the sounds of other people screaming and running around in the rapidly disappearing town center, desperately trying to escape the Heartless that were swarming around. Some were trying to hide in the disintegrating buildings, others were sucked up into the whirling vortex above them, still others were attacked by the Heartless, whereupon they vanished, leaving nothing to show that they had been there.

Xavier didn't think; he just charged, not even knowing how he knew to wield the strange weapon in his hand, but knowing that he had to save as many as he could. In the chaos, he quickly lost sight of his mother and brothers, but he paid no attention. The crowd around him thinned, but he did not notice; he was all consumed with destroying as many Heartless as he could.

It wasn't until that he spun around and abruptly stopped in mid swing when he saw Alexander behind him that his rage abruptly abated. The boy was dirty, covered in scratches and bruises, and tears were making tracks through the dirt and blood on his face. Without letting go of his sword.. thing, Xavier scooped the toddler up with his left arm, and the boy wrapped his arms around his neck. He was completely silent, and Xavier had time to wonder how odd that was as he looked around to find that they were alone.

The Heartless were gone, the other people were gone, their family was gone, the town was gone. They were standing on a small chunk of ground devoid of any structures or plant life, which was suspended in the middle of a swirling black vortex. There was nothing below them, and above them was the dark orb hovering where the sky used to be. When he felt his feet leave the ground, he let go of the Keyblade, noting in a corner of his mind how it vanished into the light which it had come from, and wrapped both of his arms around Alexander. Alexander nestled close and hid his face in Xavier's long hair as they both waited for the end that was coming. As they rose up towards the dark light, Xavier saw the ground that they had been standing on break apart, leaving nothing below them. There was no sound as they went, only the feel of the wind, and the power of the darkness that was tearing the remains of the world asunder.

And then nothing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer; Disney and Square own it all; I only wish I did. Why in the hell cant I come up with these wickedly cool characters and twisted plots? Why?**

**4.**

His head was throbbing again. Xavier groaned in pain and wondered for a moment if the previous two years had been a bizarre fever dream and he was now waking up for real.

"Hey mister, you all right?" The words, spoken in a boy's voice, bounced around in his head, and he groaned again.

"Maybe you should lover your voice, Hayner." said a girl's voice.

"Yeah, I bet his head's killing him." said a second boy.

"Are you okay?" came the girl's voice again "Can you hear us?"

He managed a feeble nod, and then he forced his eyes open the barest amount. In front of him was a face belonging to a girl with brown hair and bright green eyes. Her eyes were filled with concern and kindness, and behind her he could make out the fuzzy shapes to the two boys that had spoken. He blinked his eyes a few times, and they came into focus, allowing him to see that one had brownish blond hair and was wearing a black shirt, gray vest, and camouflage pants, while the second had dark brown hair and was wearing a red and white shirt and baggy blue pants.

"Where am I?" he managed to rasp as he leaned forward and rubbed his aching head with one hand.

"You're in Twilight Town." the girl said "We found you here in our hideout."

Twilight Town? He had never heard of it, and yet, it sounded vaguely familiar somehow.

"Do you always go out in your nightgown?" the blond boy asked, and Xavier mustered the energy to give him a half hearted glare before he realized that he was right; he was still dressed in his nightshirt and socks and nothing else. It wasn't like he had any time to dress himself after the entire house had been roused by Alexander's scream...

Alexander!

Xavier sat straight up in horror as the events of the previous night roared to the forefront of his mind. His adopted family's faces flashed through his mind as he remembered the strange black creatures, the destruction of the world, the strange weapon that had appeared in his hand, and finally being dragged up towards the glowing orb, with a terrified Alexander clinging to him. Where was everyone? Were they alright? He had to find them! He jumped to his feet to start the search, but the room spun around him, and the two boys had to catch him before he crashed back down to the floor.

"Whoa!" said the second boy "Take it easy. You look like you've been through the wringer."

"My family..." he groaned "My home. What happened to them?" Hot tears scaled his eyes and tracked down his face, and he barely noticed as the two boys backed away, and the girl stepped forward again.

"We haven't seen anyone new around town other than you, but maybe once you're feeling better, you can go look for them?" she said.

Xavier nodded faintly; he knew with an absolute sickening certainly, without knowing how he knew, that his family was gone.

"Oh!" the girl said "I almost forgot!" She turned away from him and walked to the other side of the room, where she picked up a bundle of white cloth, which she then walked back and handed to him. "We found this with you. Is it yours?"

Xavier took the offered bundle in his shaking hands and slowly unwound it to reveal the lab coat that his family had made for him. More tears ran down his cheeks, and he buried his face in the heavy material, taking a margin of comfort from the scents of home ingrained in the fabric.

"Take as long as you need, okay?" the girl said, and she gently patted him on the shoulder "When you're ready to start looking, come find me." He nodded, his face still hidden in the folds of his lab coat, and he heard her walk away, and a few seconds later, he heard the three talking quietly in a far corner.

Keeping his face covered, Xavier took deep breaths to calm himself and put his analytical mind to work.

Where was he? A place called Twilight Town.

Where was his family? He had no idea, and the children said that they hadn't seen anyone else new around town, so they likely weren't in Twilight Town.

What had happened to his home? Something had destroyed it; he wasn't sure what it was.

What was that strange weapon that he had summoned earlier? Again, he had no idea, but whatever it was, those dark creatures that had attacked Haven's Bridge hadn't liked it.

What was he going to do next? Find his family; first and foremost. If he managed to get some answers for his other questions along the way, so much the better.

Decisions made, he gingerly climbed to his feet and put the rumpled lab coat on over his night shirt; it would have to do until he found some real clothing. Which led to the next dilemma; where was he going to get clothing? And food and shelter, and a million and one other things he was going to need in the near future? And, most importantly, where was he going to get the munny for it all?

"Do you kids know where I could make some fast munny?" he asked as he approached the corner where the three had their heads together, plotting who knew what. The three sprang apart as though they were spring loaded (Yes, he thought, definitely plotting something.), and they blinked at him for a second, before the dark haired boy spoke up.

"There's a board in the Train Commons that has job postings on it that you could look into."

"What kind of jobs?"

"Small things." The blond boy spoke next. "Delivering things, hanging signs, things like that."

Xavier nodded; that sounded easy enough. "Can you show me where I might find this board?"

"Sure!" the girl – he really needed to get their names – spoke "Follow me!"

"Hey," the blond spoke up again "Are you going to go out in that?" He gestured to the nightshirt and lab coat."

Xavier chuckled without humor. "It's all I have."

The three children – who had introduced themselves as Hayner, Pence, and Olette – led him through town to the Train Commons and to the job posting board. They got quite a few strange looks, three teens leading a half dressed, barefooted man through the town, but no one said anything to them about it. Xavier looked over the odd jobs listed there, and while they were easy enough for him to do, they didn't pay squat, which meant he was going to be running around in his nightshirt for quite a while.

Screams erupted from behind him, and for a brief moment, Xavier thought he heard Alexander screaming in terror, before he snapped back to reality. He turned away from the jobs board to see those same black creatures that had attacked Haven's Bridge attacking the people of Twilight Town. Fury welled up from somewhere inside him, and he threw his hand out, and the strange weapon appeared to answer his silent call. He saw the children's eyes widen in shock, and with a firm "Stay here." he charged at the Heartless as they turned their attention to him. To his delight, these Heartless dropped munny when they were destroyed, though he was at a loss to explain where they had gotten it from. He destroyed the little black things quickly, but then were replaced when another wave of Heartless teleported in. These were larger, and they reminded Xavier of the scarecrows that Jascha put up in the cornfields every year, only they were wearing some limited armor. They were a little stronger than the small black shadows, but he soon had them down as well. They were then followed by these large purple balls, that had legs, arms, a tiny head, and a shield that prevented him from attacking from the front. They were also annoyingly good at knocking him away from them.

Finally, he just lost patience He was hungry and tired and heartsick and _he was tired of dealing with them!_

He jumped a short distance away from them and pointed his keyblade at them. "Drift!" and was rewarded by them floating into the air, where they spun helplessly. He jumped up to land more blows on them, and soon they too vanished in a cloud of darkness.

And they left quite a bit of munny for him to pick up.

It was only as he was going around picking up the munny that the crowd broke into cheers, and he realized that he had an audience. Hayner, Pence, and Olette were in front of the jobs board, jumping and cheering, and many other people were standing around him in a circle, applauding. The keyblade vanished from his hand, no longer needed, and some of the townsfolk approached him to thank him for what he had done. By the time it was done, he had been offered a night at the local inn and a hot meal, both of which he had gratefully accepted.

That evening as he sat in his room in the inn after a hot bath, a filling meal, and some clothes shopping, he held his hand out and called the keyblade to him, and it appeared in a flash of dark light. It was the strangest weapon he had ever seen, made of some kind of metal that was a dark bluish gray. A pair of bat wings went up around the hand grip, forming the hand guard, where they met a stylized demon/goat's head that made up the base of the "blade" Twin pieces formed the blade, with jagged edges and some kind of design on the surface of the metal, and they rose to meet at the top. A single dark blue eye with a slitted pupil was at the top, and another piece curved off to the right, ending in three wickedly pointed edges that could no doubt gut someone easily. At the base of the hilt a small metal chain extended out for a short distance before ending in some kind of symbol with another eye set in its center.

The weapon was creepy, sinister, and wrong, but yet it felt.. comfortable, familiar, like it was an old friend. He would have to see if he could find out more about this... keyblade that he had.

As if his thought had summoned them, there was a loud knocking at his door, and when he called out for them to come in, the door opened, and Hayner, Pence, and Olette came in.

"Are you going to find your family?" Olette asked as they found places to sit around the room.

"Tomorrow." Xavier replied as he reclined on the bed and looked at the weapon in his hand "As soon as I get up and moving, I'll go." He really wanted to leave immediately, but he had to acknowledge that he had barely any sleep the night before and had been in two battles since them. He needed the rest before he could do anything else.

"Before you leave," Pence, the dark headed boy, said "we thought you might like to hear something."

"Oh? What?"

"There are others with weapons like yours." Hayner stated a matter of factly.

That caught his attention, and he sat up. "Tell me."

"There are two that we've seen." Olette explained "One of them is a boy with blond hair, the other is a boy with brown hair."

"The blond haired boy used to come to town with a couple friends and eat ice cream on the clock tower." Pence added "but we haven't seen him in a few years."

"The other," Hayner said "we see every great now and again, though it's been nearly a year since we saw him last. The last time we saw him, he was in the company of two others, a white haired boy, and a red headed girl. They also had weapons like that." He gestured vaguely at the keyblade, which Xavier was still holding.

"Exactly like this?"

"No," Olette shook her head "They looked different but..." She trailed off, unsure how to explain.

"It was like someone took the basic design and changed them." Hayner said, and Olette and Pence nodded in agreement.

"Hmmm." Xavier rubbed his chin thoughtfully "Do you know where those people went?"

Now it was Pence's turn to shake his head. "We don't know. We never really speak to them."

"But maybe if you find them, they can help you find your family." Olette said brightly, and Xavier didn't have the heart to tell them that he had never known he had command of this keyblade until a day ago, so it was likely they couldn't help him much.

But then, maybe they could tell him what had happened to his home and the people in it. Maybe they could tell him where his family had vanished off to.

The children wished him good night and good luck and left the room to return to their own homes, after making him promise that, once he found his family, he would bring them back for ice cream. On they were gone, Xavier closed the curtains over the windows to block out the perpetual sunset, doused the lights, laid down in bed, and tried to sleep.

But sleep was a long time in coming.

_Xehanort..._


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer; Disney and Square own it all; I only wish I did. Why in the hell cant I come up with these wickedly cool characters and twisted plots? Why?**

**Summary: Nomura has stated that now that his Heartless and Nobody have been destroyed, Master Xehanort will be reborn. What if he is reborn, but not in the way everyone thinks?**

**5. **

"_Bet you can't catch me!" he taunted as the wind whipped his hair around his face, and his opponent, a younger boy with black hair and brown eyes, cried out indignantly:_

"_Quit cheating, Xehanort!"_

"_It's not cheating when my keyblade glider is faster than yours!" _

"_Xehanort! Eraqus!" The voice of their master, sharp with disapproval, fell upon their ears, bringing their impromptu race to a screeching halt. "Land, now!" The pair obeyed their master's command, dismissing their keyblade gilders and coming to stand at attention in front of the man that had taken them in and agreed to train them. They both knew they were in trouble, and Eraqus looked as though he was about to cry at the thought of the punishment to come. Xehanort reached out and affectionately ruffled his adopted little brother's long hair..._

Xavier opened his eyes and saw the ceiling of his room at the inn above him. He sat up in bed and raked his hair back from his face. What the hell had that been? A random dream, brought on by exhaustion? A memory? Nothing at all?

But one of the boys had said "keyblade", which meant they had a weapon like he had, though he had no idea what a "keyblade glider" was. Anyway, it would be something to ask those that Hayner, Pence, and Olette had told him about once he found them.

Shaking his head, Xavier hauled himself out of the comfortable bed and began to get ready for the day. Or the perpetual evening, he thought as he looked out the window at the sunset, which hadn't budged the entire time he'd been in town. He stumbled into the bathroom to take care of a few things, glad that the innkeeper provided complimentary razors and combs, so he was able to take care of that at least.

As he went through the morning routine, taking a small amount of comfort at it, he thought about how exactly he was going to search for his family. What little he had seen of Twilight Town the previous day told him that the world appeared to be fairly small, and if living in a small world for two years had taught him anything, it was that news traveled fast in them. So if his family was on this world, he likely would have already known about it, seeing it would have been quick work for the locals to comment on the other strange person that had arrived. No, they weren't here, which meant he was going to have to go offworld to find them. And he didn't have the slightest clue on how he was going to do that. Hell, why was he so certain he could travel to get them? He hadn't even known that there were other worlds before yesterday – the day before yester – damn it. He raked his hands through his hair again; things were just so confusing.

Most people, upon being thrown into another world, would be upset and confused, especially if they had had no previous idea that there were other worlds, yet he was strangely calm about it. If was if... he had already known. Xavier looked at himself in the bathroom mirror, at his tanned skin, brown eyes, and white hair with its three weird spikes that refused to lie down no matter what he did. Who was he exactly? What kind of person had he been? He had wielded that keyblade earlier like he had trained his entire life for it, which mean that likely he had been taught to do so by someone.

Back when he had awakened from his fever induced coma and Jascha and Elissa had taken him in, he'd often wondered how he had ended up in Haven's Bridge. Had he been abandoned, cast out, kidnapped and then dumped? There had been no way of knowing, and though he had quit actively trying to learn the answers to his questions, he had always nursed the secret hope in his heart that he would one day learn who he had once been. And now, staring at his reflection in the mirror, he knew with a certainty, that while he was on the path to finding those answers, he probably wasn't going to like them.

"Well," he said to his reflection "it's too late to turn back now."

With that, he calmly dressed himself, throwing his rumpled lab coat over the clothes that he had bought the previous day, and went down to the inn's dining room to see about breakfast.

After he had eaten and thanked the innkeeper for his hospitality, he wandered back into town and tried to figure out how to get offworld. He ignored the locals as he wandered around, deep in thought, and without any input from him, his feet carried him to the clock tower. He climbed up the winding steps and then up a narrow ladder which led out onto the ledge winding around all four sides of the structure just under the clock face. The area afforded him a perfect view of the eternal sunset, and he allowed himself a brief moment of rest and sat down on the edge. Now what was he going to do?

He closed his eyes for a brief moment, and when he opened them again, he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his right eye. He reached out to pick it up and looked at it closely, and he knew immediately what it was.

It was an ice cream stick, a winning one too. The word "Winner!" along with the stylized crown stamped into the wood were faded and barely legible, but he knew that he had seen these before. He'd had ice cream before, but it was the home made stuff that Elissa made in the wooden bucket with the crank handle, using ingredients from the farm and orchard. As far as he knew he'd never had ice cream on a stick before, but hadn't he know someone that liked such ice cream? He shook his head as a feeling of vertigo struck him suddenly -

"_Eraqus, wanna go to Twilight town and get some ice cream?"_

"_Master'll be mad if we go offworld without permission, Xehanort."_

"_Relax, if he catches us, I'll say I dragged you along and that you didn't want to go."_

"_Al – alright, if you're sure."_

_- _and when it passed he got to his feet and stuffed the stick in one of the pockets of his lab coat. He then summoned his keyblade and pointed it at the wall of the clock tower. Tiny lines of light flowed and gathered around the end, and a narrow beam of purple light shot from it and impacted the wall. There was a flare of light, a crackling sound, and then a large black and purple portal opened up. Smiling in satisfaction, he tossed the keyblade in the air, and when it returned to him, it was no longer a keyblade. Instead it was a strange vehicle of some sort, made of a frame of the same kind of metal as the keyblade, with a seat, footrests, handlebars, and three narrow jets of dark light that seemed to be some kind of propulsion system. It hovered in front of him, waiting for him to mount, and after a moment's hesitation, he did so, noting that again it felt comfortable and familiar. Without batting an eye, he flew straight towards the portal in front of him, and passed through it without a backward glance.

What was on the other side startled him so badly he nearly fell off the glider. He looked around him, his jaw hanging open in shock and awe. Was this outer space? How could he be traveling through it? It was simply unbelievable. He brought the glider to a halt and looked around, noting the sparkling lights around him and the larger brightly lit globes that he assumed were worlds. Where to go? Where to go?

Whichever was closest, he decided, not wishing to spend too much time out there until he knew for sure that it was safe to do so. Not too far away was a world sparkling with light and color, and he flew towards it, trying not to look at the expanse of empty space that was all around him. He really didn't want to contemplate the consequences of falling off the glider out here.

As he neared it, another portal appeared in front of him, and when he exited it, he was flying over a lush field of wildflowers They flowers were in full bloom, and their sweet scent filled the air around him. He touched down, dismissed the glider, and looked around at his surroundings, and spotted what appeared to be a manor house off in the distance Figuring that it was as good as place to start as any, he began to walk towards it.

He had barely taken a step when his plans were interrupted. Small black portals, similar to the ones that he had used earlier, and more of those small black shadows appeared. Those were easily destroyed, and their place was taken by floating black balls with blue streaks and three tentacle like appendages. Resorting to the same tactic he had used in Twilight Town, he cast Zero Gravity (He somehow knew that was the spell's name.) which gathered them all up into a tightly packed group that he was able to destroy easily. No sooner had he done that then more of them appeared, which included two of those huge ball things that had given him such hell in Twilight Town. He jumped back and pointed the keyblade at them: "Freeze!" and was rewarded with the knowledge that magic could penetrate their shields. They third wave was destroyed easily, and was then followed by a fourth wave, which solely consisted of more shadows, only they were taller, stronger, and more human appearing than the previous ones.

To his annoyance and frustration, they quickly showed that they were not as stupid or as easy to defeat as the regular shadows. They kept their distance initially, and Xavier swore that they seemed to planning a strategy, but then they too charged him. Their strategy seemed to consist of surrounding him and using their superior numbers to maul him, and he found he couldn't stand still for a second, or they would rake him with their claws. It was the biggest challenge he'd faced so far, and though he had the skills, his body wasn't used to such prolonged, fast paced, physical activity, but still, after several minutes, the last of them vanished into a cloud of black dust, and no more appeared to take their place.

Exhausted, Xavier flopped down in the tall flowers, still clutching his keyblade tightly in one hand, and tried to catch his breath. He had already encountered the Heartless three times, and he already hated them with a passion. What exactly were they, and why did they keep appearing?

A flare of light from his keyblade distracted him from his thoughts, and he quickly got to his feet, looking around for any more Heartless, but there were none. He looked down at the keyblade as it began to vibrate in his hand, and with a will of its own, it swung downward until it was pointing at the ground in front of him. The flowers in front of him parted, and a small black hole in the shape of a keyhole was revealed. Before he could even begin to ponder what that meant, light gathered at the end of the keyblade like it had in Twilight Town. The light was white instead of purple, and a strong wind kicked up out of nowhere, seemingly coming from the ground on which he stood, ruffling his clothing and hair. A thin beam of white light then shot from the end of the keyblade and struck the hole in the ground. There was the sound of a large lock clicking closed, and then the keyhole faded away, leaving him standing in the field, completely confused. What the -

He heard the whistling _swish_ of air moving behind him just in time, and he ducked and rolled and brought up his weapon to defend himself as he came to stand on his knees not far from where the keyhole had been. There was a loud _clang_! and he looked past his weapon to see the large pink blade of a scythe trying to break through his block. The pink blade was connected to a curved green handle, and gripping the handle tight and staring at him with an intense hatred was a tall man with pink hair and blue eyes.

"Xemnas!" the man snarled, and he used his weapon to shove Xavier back, breaking his block and knocking him backwards. Xavier rolled with the shove and was able to quickly regain his feet and skip a few steps further back, as the tip of the scythe embedded itself into the ground where he had been standing just a second before.

_What did he just call me? Who is Xemnas?_

"Who are you?" he asked as he skipped back several steps to avoid a wide swing that would have taken his head off had it connected. The question seemed to only infuriate the man further, and his eyes were sparking with rage as he swung again.

"As if you don't know!" he spat "The memory excuse may have worked the last time, Xemnas, but it won't work this time!" He then lifted the scythe over his shoulder and swung in quickly in a downward arc. A blast of red light erupted from the blade and streaked towards him, and Xavier had just enough time to notice the cherry blossom petals that fluttered all around the man and his weapon before it slammed into him. It was like slamming into a brick wall at a full run, and Xavier was flung backwards off his feet. His keyblade was knocked out of his hand, and he landed hard face down on the dirt, where he remained for a moment, dazed, with the wind knocked out of him. He dimly heard booted footsteps walking through the flowers towards him.

"I've been wanting to do this for a long time." he heard the man say, and he could clearly picture the scythe being raised up, preparing to cleave his head off his neck. Xavier closed his eyes and braced for death when they were interrupted.

"Master Raliaum! Master Raliaum!" a woman's voice, shouting in its urgency, fell upon his ears, and the man hissed in anger.

"What is it?" he snapped "How dare you interrupt me?"

"It is your wife, Master Raliaum!" The woman sounded winded, as if she had been running for a long distance.

"Linia?" The pink haired man's entire demeanor changed, from one of rage and hostility to concern and love. "Is something wrong with her!"

"The cord!" The woman huffed for breath. "The cord has prolapsed, my lord. The midwife fears the babe may not live."

_Prolapsed cord._ Xavier thought vaguely _When the umbilical cord is delivered before the baby. Fatal for the child if it is not delivered quickly. _

The man – Raliaum – began to walk away, the scythe vanishing from his hand in another flurry of cherry petals, and Xavier managed to get to his feet.

"Wait," he called after him "I can help."

Raliaum spun around with a snarl, and Xavier just barely dodged a second blast of red light, which cleaved a sizable gouge in the ground behind him. "I don't want you anywhere near my wife, Xemnas."

"And your child will die then." Xavier snapped, suddenly angry "No midwife will be able to deliver that baby in time, and you know it! You need a doctor if you want to have any chance of your child living."

"Am I to assume that you are a doctor?" Raliaum growled impatiently.

"I am -" He left out the fact that he was still an apprentice: no need to bring that up. "- and unless there is another, I am your only chance for saving your son or daughter."

Raliaum snarled again and seemed to be wrestling with indecision. "Fine," he said after a moment "but if anything happens to my wife or child.." The threat was left unsaid; it was crystal clear without being voiced.

"I need to get there quickly." Xavier chose to ignore the threat; he had something far more important on his mind. Raliaum nodded curtly and turned his back, and a portal, a much larger version of the ones that the Heartless used, appeared in front of him. Xavier noted that it was a dark version of the one he had created with the keyblade in Twilight Town earlier.

"Follow me." he said, and he simply walked into it. Xavier didn't like the look of the thing one bit, but he had said he would help, so he took a deep breath and walked into the swirling darkness after the pink haired lord. They appeared in a hallway just outside a ornately made wood paneled door, and Xavier could plainly hear a woman's distressed cries from the other side. Without stopping to think, he pushed the door open and walked inside to see a full term pregnant woman lying on a bed, a worried midwife with her. He could tell immediately from the length of umbilical cord that had been delivered that there was no chance of birthing the baby the normal way and it surviving.

"Do you have anything to put her to sleep?" he asked the midwife, who only shook her head fearfully. He turned to look at Raliaum, who was standing behind me, scythe at the ready in case he tried anything. "Raliaum?"

'Why?" the man asked suspiciously.

"I have to do a caesarian, and I don't think you want her awake for that?" After a second, Raliaum shook his head and approached his terrified wife. He laid his hand gently on her forehead and whispered "Sleep.", and her eyes sank shut.

"Do what you need to do." he said quietly, and then he stepped back, but he did not put his scythe away. The midwife handed Xavier a knife, and he was pleased to see that its blade was sharpened to a fine edge. It wasn't a scalpel, but it would do. He swished it around in a pot of boiling water that was sitting nearby and cut.

It was only his second caesarian, and the first he had attempted alone, but his hands moved with practiced ease, and soon he was lifting a healthy baby boy from his mother's womb. He quickly cleared the nose and mouth, drained the fluid from his lungs, and tickled his feet. A second or so later, the child started to bawl, and Xavier passed him off to the midwife to care for while he took care of the mother. He removed the cord and the placenta and realized that he had nothing to stitch her up with, so, without thinking about it, he simply held his hands just above her.

"Heal," he said softly, and he was rewarded by a green glow, and the incisions closed up on their own. He checked her pulse and breathing and saw that everything was normal, so he smiled in satisfaction and turned around to see Raliaum cradling his baby son tenderly.

"Will she be alright?" Raliaum asked quietly as he looked up, and Xavier nodded and smiled.

"She will be fine. She must rest for a few days, but that is all."

"I still do not trust you, Xemnas."

"My name is Xavier."

"I don't care what your name is. Now get out of this room; I need to see to my wife."

Startled, and more than a little irritated at the man's abrupt rudeness, Xavier nevertheless did as he asked and stepped out of the room, where a servant was waiting to take him to a room where he could clean up. He was shown to a bedroom, which had a private bath, and once he stepped through the door, it was closed and locked behind him. Deciding to ignore that for the moment, he washed the blood of his hands, surprised that none had gotten on the white sleeves of his lab coat, and sat down in a chair by a window to relax for a bit.

He knew somehow that his keyblade could open the locked door, but he decided not to push Raliaum's distrust of him. He didn't understand why the man was so hostile, and he certainly didn't know who this "Xemnas" was. Had that been his name before he lost his memory, and if it was, what kind of person had he been to provoke such a reaction? He supposed he could ask Raliaum, but the man didn't seem to believe that he had lost his memory. Hell, he had even implied that he had lost his memory once before.

The sound of the lock clicking interrupted his thoughts, and he stood up from his chair as the door opened and Raliaum stepped in, scythe in hand.

"I want you to leave." he stated firmly, and Xavier frowned.

"I saved your son's life, and this is how you thank me."

"I haven't killed you."

"Why do you hate me so much? And who is Xemnas?"

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that you've lost your memory again?" Raliaum snorted in derision. 'Spare me the theatrics and get out."

Looking at the angry man on the other side of the room, vertigo struck him again, and Xavier sunk back into the chair behind him as the room tilted and rocked. He looked up at Raliaum, standing by the door with his scythe over his shoulder, and for a moment, he saw him standing in a white hallway with gray accents, wearing a long black leather coat, black books, black pants, and black gloves. Then the room swam back into focus around him, and he hid his face in his hands. What the hell had that been about?

"_Superior, what is to be done with those that would rebel against you?_

"_Send them to Castle Oblivion, Saix. We will give Marluxia just enough rope to hang himself."_

Xavier groaned, and he heard Raliaum or Marluxia or whatever his name was shifting, and a second later rich laughter, mocking, derisive, filled the room.

'You really cannot remember!" Raliaum laughed "You have no idea who I am, who YOU are!" Footsteps echoed across the rug dotted floor, and then hands grabbed him by the lapels of his coat, yanked him out of his chair, and flung him into another portal. He flew through it and landed on his back on wet pavement. He sat up, barely noticing that it was pouring down rain around him, and saw Raliaum, still laughing, on the other side of the portal as it closed and vanished.

Xavier stared at where the portal had been for a long moment, confused at what Raliaum had said, before he dragged himself to his feet. The cold, heavy rain had already soaked through his clothing, and he shivered as he looked around for a place to take shelter until the rain stopped.

He was in a large city, and it was dark out. No sun, no stars, just endless buildings, some with garish neon lights on their fronts, and empty streets. Looking down the deserted street, he saw a large castle floating in the air a ways away. He knew that one of the nearby buildings would suffice for a shelter, but he found himself walking towards the castle anyway; something was pulling him there. He tried to make himself stop and get out of the street, get out of the rain, but his feet would not obey him, so step by step, he walked through the pouring rain down the street, not knowing what awaited him.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer; Disney and Square owns it all; I only wish I did. Why in the hell cant I come up with these wickedly cool characters and twisted plots? Why?

A/N: I apologize for the delay in getting this out, but it was a very awkward chapter to write, and even though I knew what I wanted to happen, it just wouldn't flow right. I'm not completely happy with how it turned out, but at least the ending part of it, which is important, came out the way I wanted. XD

**6.**

To Xavier it seemed as thought he had walked for hours through the cold, pouring rain before he reached the shelter of the white castle. He had encountered more Heartless on the way, and he was shivering from the cold and exhaustion by the time he stepped into Nothing's Call -

_How do I know what this room is called?_

- and looked around at the stark white interior. He dragged his dripping hair back out of his face and shuddered as he pushed his aching body forward.

_I need to sleep. _

Without thinking about where he was going, he walked out of Nothing's Call and through a maze of corridors and rooms that would have gotten him hopelessly lost had been paying attention. As it was, he was barely aware of anything until his feet came to a sudden stop in front of a single white door. With a resigned sigh, Xavier opened the door and stepped into a plain bedroom, decorated the same as the rest of the castle. There was a single unadorned window looking out over the Dark City -

_Kingdom Hearts? Shouldn't it be there?_

_- _and a single bed in the middle of the room. The bed was covered in dust and looked as if it hadn't been touched in quite some time, but to Xavier it was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. He stripped out of his dripping wet clothes, wrung them out as best he could, and hung them up on various odds and ends sticking out of the walls. He then shook the dust off the bed's sheets and blanket as well as he could and climbed in.

_Why does this feel so familiar?_

He was asleep within seconds.

**OOOOOO**

_He was in a room. Its size could not be determined; any walls, if they were there at all, were swallowed up by the shadows around him. A single white light shone down from above him, but he could see no source for it when he looked up. Just within the radius of the light were five, free standing floor mirrors, and each one had a reflection, though when he looked closely, four of them were not him. The first looked like him, but something about the person looked... off. _

_It appeared to be him, same tanned skin, same white hair, same brown eyes, and he was wearing a white lab coat over a white shirt and a gray vest, a purple ascot, black pants, and black boots. In the eyes he saw the same look that he saw whenever he saw his face in a mirror, the look of confusion, of questions unanswered and answers unknown. _

_In the next mirror was someone that looked similar to him; the build was heavier and more muscular, and the hair was styled differently. The biggest differences were the long black coat, and the bright orange eyes, which stared into his own with an emotionless gaze. _

_The next one was staring back at him with undisguised hostility. Its hair was the same as his own, but the eyes were orange, the skin was darker, and the clothes were very different. It (he?) wore a black and gray coat that reached down to the calves over a white vest that exposed its muscular chest, black pants, black boots, and white gloves. _

_The next mirror held an image that looked very different, at least at first glance. It held an image of a young man, almost a boy, with messy brown hair and bright blue eyes. It wasn't until Xavier looked closer that he realized that the boy did resemble him a great deal. The face was younger, but the shape_ _and structure were nearly identical to his own. Were the two of them related somehow? The blue eyes __that were looking back at him were filled with emotion: anger, betrayal, hate, but he could see, behind the negativity, sadness and a desperate longing. It seemed like quite the long stretch of time before he was able to tear his gaze away and look closer at the last mirror. _

_Staring back at him with a look that made his skin crawl, was an old man. His was bald, with a short, white beard clinging to his chin. He was wearing a similar outfit to the third mirror, only instead of a vest, he was wearing a button down shirt, and the bottom half of his coat was a darker gray. His ears were pointed, and his eyes were a bright orange, and they looked at him with interest. Xavier felt like a bug under a microscope as he backed away until he was standing under the light again. _

Who are you? _He wondered, and he was startled when three voices answered him, though he could have sworn he had not spoken the question out loud_

We are you!

And... _He hesitated, not sure that he wanted to know._ Who am I?

_This time, the old man and the brown haired boy, neither of which had answered his first question, responded:_

You are us.

**OOOOOO**

Xavier sat up in the dusty bed, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. What the hell had that been? He drew his knees up to his chest and held his face in his hands for the longest moment, while he tried to make sense of his dream. Five reflections, four of which resembled him in some way. The fifth did not bear thinking about. Something about the old man frightened him, but he did no know why. The old man's gaze had felt... threatening.

Xavier couldn't help the shiver than ran through him.

As he caught his breath and his heart slowed to normal, he threw the blankets back and stood up, shivering again when his bare feet touched the cold floor. He quickly checked his clothes to see that they were still slightly damp, but they would have to do, and he shivered again as he dressed himself. He cast his eyes around the room and spotted what appeared to be a closet door on the far wall, so he walked over, hoping to find something to put over his clothes until they finished drying. He opened the door to see that it was indeed a closet, but the only things it contained were a few black leather coats, and a single pair of boots. The room suddenly rocked to the side for a moment, which forced him to lean against the door frame or risk falling over, and he pictured Raliaum again, standing with his scythe over his shoulder, wearing the exact same style of coat. The dizziness worsened when he reached out to one of the coats and was able to plainly see the tag on the back of the collar, with a name stitched into it.

"Xemnas," Xavier said weakly, as his legs wobbled and threatened to fold underneath him.

_You really cannot remember! You have no idea who I am, who YOU are!_

Xavier moaned as it felt as though someone was inflating a balloon inside his head, trying to make his skull burst under the pressure. He pushed himself away from the closet, and staggered out of the room. The dizziness began to abate once he was out in the corridor, and he leaned against the wall while he waited for it to pass.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked himself as he stood there "Who am I?"

_I need to get out of here. _

He pushed himself away from the wall and began walking through the deserted, silent, corridors, hoping to find his way back to Nothing's Call, but he could only barely remember how he had gotten from there to the bedroom he had used, and he could only hope to stumble upon it by accident. Using his keyblade to create a portal so he could leave that way simply never occurred to him.

So he wandered the castle, and he ran into many strange rooms, a laboratory, a large open room with a small platform halfway up the wall -

_Hall of Empty Melodies _

a prison of some kind, a large open staircase, fashioned from glass and white metal, as well as several mundane rooms; more bedrooms, a kitchen, a library, a living room, and bathrooms. He walked through a door in the Hall of Empty Melodies, and down a walkway high up outside the castle -

_Naught's Skyway_

- to a mezzanine in the Hall, through a door, and down a short narrow corridor to a room that sent him reeling in shock.

At first he though he had wandered into a graveyard; the oddly shaped room certainly had the look and feel of one. Twelve panels on the floor were arranged aside a center pathway, and when he walked up to them, he could read words carved into what appeared to be broken tombstones at the head of each panel. He slowly walked through the room, looked at the panels, all of which were glowing blue, and read the names engraved into the broken stones.

"Number VIII," he read off of the one in the bottom row, far left "The Flurry of Dancing Flames." On the softly glowing panel was an image of a strange spiked wheel, and he knew with a certainty that Axel could use his chakrams with deadly skill.

_Axel?_

He walked down the row: The Melodious Nocturne, The Gambler of Fate, The Graceful Assassin -

_Raliaum..._

- The Savage Nymph, and The Key of Destiny.

Xavier cocked his head and looked at the panel for the Key of Destiny. The style and design were very different from his own, but the panel clearly showed, crossed over one another, two keyblades. He knelt down to take a closer look; yes they were definitely keyblades, though they were of a much simpler design than his own. Maybe this Key of Destiny, whoever that was, was one of the ones that Hayner Pence and Olette had told him about?

Filing that away for later, he returned to the center path and walked up to the next row: The Chilly Academic, The Silent Hero, The Cloaked Schemer, and The Luna Diviner.

_Saïx? _

The next row up only had two names: The Freeshooter, and the Whirlwind Lancer.

_I know these people... but how? _

Leaving the depressing room behind, Xavier shook his head and walked up the center isle to the open doorway at the end, up a narrow staircase, to -

_Naught's Approach_

_- _an exterior passage that allowed him to see the Dark City below. He paused to look around and spotted something lying on one of the sloping ramps that made up the area. Curious, he walked over and picked it up.

It was a sketchbook, dusty and worn, the pages brittle and dry with age. Each page was filled with colorful drawings, some done with crayon, some done with pencil. Xavier absently sat down on the cold floor and started flipping through it. There were several drawing of the castle he was in, a few of a second castle with white halls and gray accents, quite a few of a tropical island with palm trees, and a sun shining on the gently lapping waves, but it was the last set of drawings that caught his attention.

They were a set of portraits, thirteen in all, and they each had a number, a name, and a title on them. They were in reverse order, with number thirteen being the first and number one being the last. The first was a blond boy, carrying the two keys that Xavier had seen on the panel in the Proof of Existence.

"Roxas," he read out loud "Number XIII, The Key of Destiny."

The next page held a portrait of a blond woman, with small knife like weapons held between her fingers. She was a beautiful woman, but something about her seemed dangerous and sinister.

"Larxene, Number XII, The Savage Nymph."

The next portrait made him start in surprise and blink his eyes a few times to make sure he wasn't seeing things, because looking up at him from the paper was Raliaum, the man he had met just after leaving Twilight Town, complete with the black leather coat and the pink bladed scythe.

"Marluxia, Number XI, The Graceful Assassin."

_Xemnas!_

He quickly looked through the next few portraits, suddenly seized by a sense of urgency, for what reason he did not know.

He skipped past the portraits of The Gambler of Fate, The Melodious Nocturne, and the Flurry of Dancing Flames. Number XII, the Luna Diviner, made him pause however. Staring back at him through yellow eyes was a blue haired man with pointed ears and carrying a massive weapon of some kind. It looked like a cross between a sword and a club.

"Saïx?" he whispered, as he stared. Saïx was... Saïx was his second in command – _command of what? _- but Saïx was _dead!_ They all were, including...  
>Xavier hurriedly flipped through the portraits, past Zexion, Number VI, The Cloaked Schemer,<p>

_Oh god, Ienzo._

past Lexaeus, Number V, The Silent Hero,

_You were right, Aeleus..._

Vexen, Number IV, The Chilly Academic

_I'm so sorry, Even!_

Xaldin, Number III, The Whirlwind Lancer,

_Dilan..._

Xigbar, Number II, The Freeshooter,

_Damn it, Braig!_

until he reached the last portrait.

"Xemnas, Number I, The Superior of the In-Between..."

Looking back at him with emotionless orange eyes was the person he had seen in the third mirror in his dream.

_We are you!_

Pain exploded in his skull, and Xavier screamed in sudden agony as he grabbed his head, as though he was trying to hold it together. Naught's Approach titled crazily, and he realized that he was falling to the side as his vision dimmed, and darkness swallowed him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer; Disney and Square owns it all; I only wish I did. Why in the hell cant I come up with these wickedly cool characters and twisted plots? Why?**

**7.**

It was bright light shining into his eyes that woke Xavier from his sudden slumber. Around him he could hear birds of some kind -

_Seagulls?_

- as well as waves lapping gently against a beach. As he came to full awareness, he felt the coarse grittiness of warm sand underneath him and the heat of the tropical sun shining down on him. Reaching up with shaking hands, he rubbed the sand and gunk from his eyes and sat up to look around.

Like he suspected, he was lying on a beach, though for the life of him he had no idea how he had gotten there. The last thing he remembered was looking at the portrait of Xemnas in the sketchbook and then nothing.

_We are you!_

Xavier shuddered and staggered to his feet. He was on a tropical island, and it was apparent that humans were around somewhere, if the walkways, bridges, shacks, and retaining walls that he could see were anything to go by. There were no houses that he could see, though he supposed that they could be on the other side of the island, out of sight, but he felt certain that the island that he was standing on was uninhabited.

Off to his left was a pier, and one small rowboat was tied up to it, which meant that chances were good someone else was on the island with him. Now he just need to find that person so he could find out where he was and, maybe, how in the hell he had gotten there. He began walking away from the water's edge, towards a short retaining wall that held up a walkway around a small pond that was fed by a waterfall.

At first he thought it was an aural illusion created by the falling water, the sounds of some kind of strings being plucked, but even as he moved away from the water, he could still hear them, so he began to try and find the source of the sound. The swirling wind currents around the island caused by the wave action and the high mountain in the center made it difficult to find it, and it wasn't until he started to climb up onto the higher walkways that he found it.

On a high platform between two peaks on the north end of the island, he spotted a lone person with blond hair done up in a mullet and wearing a loose fitting shirt, baggy linen pants, and no shoes. The man was barefooted, and his eyes were closed as he focused on playing the sitar that he held in his lap. He was facing towards the sun, which was beginning to set and would have been able to see Xavier standing there watching him if he hadn't been so wrapped up in his music. He was playing a simple melody that spoke of joy and happiness, yet it had an undercurrent of sadness and loss. Xavier was loathe to interrupt him, so he leaned against the rock on one side of the walkway and waited for him to finish.

After a long moment, the last note died away, and the blond man opened his eyes, which were green. He smiled in satisfaction and went to stand up, but when he did, his fell upon Xavier standing there. The man stared at him in shock for a moment and rubbed his eyes and blinked as if to make sure what he was seeing was real. Then his eyes widened in terror. He dropped his sitar, which hit the wooden floor with the twang of jostled strings, and began to back away. After a few steps, he turned to run, only to meet the sides of the mountain that supported the platform. He spun back around to face Xavier, looked past him at the only path out, and then seemed to make a split second decision. He ran for the only exit, but he tripped on a loose board trying to get around Xavier and would have gone over the railing had Xavier not grabbed him by the back of his shirt and hauled him away from the edge. In response he only backed away back onto the platform, while Xavier wondered what had him so frightened. He was obviously afraid of Xavier himself, but why?

"P.. please..." the man stuttered in terror "Don't hurt me."

Xavier perked on eyebrow. "Why would I want to do that?" Wait a moment, hadn't he just seen a portrait of this guy recently?

"Demyx?" he asked, and the response surprised him.  
>"Emyd," the young man said without the fear that he had shown a second before "Demyx was a Nobody."<p>

"Emyd then," Xavier replied as he stepped onto the platform, which caused Emyd to back up even further "How do I know you? How do you know me? Who is Xemnas?"

Emyd blinked once and stared at him in bewildered silence for a few moments. "You can't remember again?"

"What do you mean 'again'?"

"Xemnas had amnesia too, though no one but the senior members were supposed to know."

Xavier was intrigued, and he sat down and made himself comfortable on the wooden platform. "Please, tell me more."

Emyd sat down close by, apparently no longer afraid of him, though his eyes looked very far away. "Demyx was part of Organization XIII. They were a group of Nobodies – beings that had lost their hearts – and they were powerful enough to retain their original form and human thought. Xemnas, Xigbar, Xaldin, Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion were the six founding members, and they recruited the other seven members later on. The Organization's goal was to regain their hearts, at least, most of them were after that. Xemnas had other plans, though I think Xigbar might have known about them. Marluxia figured it out too, and he and Larxene were planning to overthrow Xemnas so they could try and get Kingdom Hearts to get their hearts back."

_Kingdom Hearts..._ Xavier heard a reedy old voice whisper, and he shuddered.

Emyd kept talking, unaware of the voice or the shudder that it caused, and Xavier noted that his sitar was back on his lap, and that he was plucking at it absently. "But Saïx and Axel were also planning to overthrow Xemnas for the same reasons, and they didn't want Marluxia to overthrow him first, so, on Xemnas' orders, Saïx sent Marluxia and Larxene to Castle Oblivion. They were supposed to give Marluxia enough rope to hang himself, but Saïx also needed to get rid of anyone that would stand in his and Axel's way, so they sent Vexen, Zexion, and Lexaeus out there too. Axel was sent there to get rid of the traitors, and he killed everyone but Marluxia and Lexaeus before he returned to the Castle That Never Was. Lexaeus was killed by a Heartless, and Marluxia was killed by Sora."

"Sora?"

"The Keyblade Wielder. The Organization needed him to destroy as many emblem Heartless as he could, so the freed hearts would form Kingdom Hearts, but..."

"But?" Xavier did not like the look in Emyd's eyes; something about it made him uneasy. He wasn't going to like what he was going to hear next; he knew it.

"He destroyed the Organization instead. Demyx was the first to die." Emyd shuddered, and Xavier thought he saw tears in his eyes for a brief second. "Xaldin was next, and then Sora reached the Castle That Never Was. There was no stopping him and his friends after that. He killed Luxord, and then Xigbar died in the Hall of Empty Melodies. Saïx was the next to fall, and then Sora and his friend Riku destroyed Xemnas."

Xavier shuddered again; battle cries, yells, the sounds of clashing weapons, the hum of Xemnas' Ethereal Blades all sounded in his mind before he shook his head, and they fell silent.

"Was Saïx..." Xavier swallowed heavily "Was Saïx Xemnas' second in command."

Emyd nodded. "He worked his way up into that position since it would be easier to stab Xemnas in the back that way. Saïx really wanted his heart back, and he didn't care who he had to hurt to get it. I suppose we were all like that. When you don't have a heart, you can't regret your actions. Sora hated him with a passion, and even though Saïx regained his heart like the rest of us, those in charge of Radiant Garden saw to it that Isa was thrown into the deepest, darkest prison they could find, never to see the light of day again." Emyd shuddered again. "It makes me glad that Sora and them don't hate me like that. Sora's friendly with most of the former Organization members. He doesn't like Marluxia's Other, but he leaves him alone. He's friends with Lea, Axel's Other, and he allowed me to live here on Destiny Islands because my homeworld hasn't been pulled from the Darkness yet."

"Allowed you to? Why does he have a say in where you live?"

Emyd looked up at him from between strands of blond hair that had fallen down from the mullet atop his head. "This is Sora, Riku, and Kairi's homeworld, and they're very protective of it."

Xavier chose to ignore that for the moment. "You said 'Other'. Does that refer to the original person? And how did they all get their hearts back?"

"Yeah, your Other is your original self, before your heart was lost. When the heart is taken by the Heartless, the heart becomes an Emblem Heartless, and the body and soul becomes a Nobody. If the Heartless is destroyed, freeing the heart, and then the Nobody is destroyed, the Other is reborn."

"So all of Organization XIII was reborn?"

Emyd nodded, and then he glanced over at the sun, which was just a sliver of red light barely visible on the horizon. "Look, it's late. I have to go home. The town is on a nearby island, but you can't come with me; someone might tell Sora that they saw you, and he hated Xemnas more than he hated Saïx. If he hears that Xemnas' Other was in his hometown with me, he'll make us both wish we were never born. Come with me." Emyd stood up, and his sitar vanished in a cloud of watery bubbles.

_What the hell was that? And how in the hell did he do it?_

He walked past Xavier onto the walkway, and went down the ladder to the ground. Xavier hastened to follow him, and the sitar player led him aside the small pond to a smaller cave that was concealed by brush and clinging vines. The pair walked down a short tunnel, which widened into a cave formed out of the rock with a sandy floor. The walls were covered with chalk scribbles and drawings, and on the far end of the room was what appeared to be a door. There were remains of a fire in the center of the floor, as well as a sleeping bag and simple tent.

"I stumbled into this world by accident." Emyd explained as he picked up the sleeping back and shook it out. "Sora was still out going around the worlds, and local children found me here. The adults tried to get him to come back to town, but I was too scared; I didn't know how far the Organization's reputation had spread, and I was scared of what they would do to me. Since they couldn't convince me to come into town, they brought me these to use. Sora later came home and convinced me to stay in town, but I left the camping stuff here, because sometimes I lose track of time when I'm playing my sitar and spend the night here. The kids know the stuff is mine and don't mess with it. You can stay here, and tomorrow, I'll come back and bring you something to eat."

"Why are you helping me?"

Emyd paused in his checking of the tent, and he sighed, and his shoulders sagged. "Saïx may have been mean and nasty, but Isa doesn't deserve what they're doing to him. Axel did many nasty things too, but Lea is friends with Sora. It's not fair, and I'd like to think that, even though Xemnas calmly sacrificed all the Nobodies in the Organization, his Other is not so bad either."

"You've seen Isa."

Emyd nodded. "Yeah, the others and I were shown him so we knew what would happen to us if we tried to hurt anyone again. It would have been nicer if they had just killed him outright." Emyd shuddered suddenly, and then straightened up and turned to face Xavier like nothing was amiss. "Okay, I'll be back tomorrow morning." he said brightly, and then he walked out of the cave, leaving Xavier alone in the rapidly deepening gloom.

**OOOOOO**

"_Ah Kingdom Hearts," said the same old man that he had seen in the mirror as he eyed Xavier like he was a particularly interesting animal in a zoo. The feel of that gaze of him certainly did make Xavier feel like he was trapped in a cage somehow, with no escape from it. "So you succeeded. Yes, that is very fortunate. It means that you can do so again if you were to try it."_

_Xavier wanted to back up a few steps to get away from the creepiness that was the old man's orange eyed gaze, but his feet were seemingly frozen to whatever it was he was standing on. He certainly couldn't see anything around him other than an endless expanse of nothing. "What is Kingdom Hearts? And why would I want to try getting it?"_

"_Because it is power, my boy! It is what I was after the entire time! I needed Kingdom Hearts to make sure I survived, but Terra stopped me, but now we can still succeed! You can summon it easily with my keyblade, once you learn how. Or," He smiled an oily smile that made Xavier's skin crawl and took a step closer. "you can let me... remind you. All you have to do is surrender control to me." _

"_No!" Xavier shook his head emphatically "You're out of your mind if you think that I would let a crazy old man like you take control of my body!"_

"_And yet you have control of my heart." the old man responded with an eager lift of his eyebrows "What were to happen if I were to take back what is mine?" He took a few more steps forward, and Xavier felt his heart wrench as though it was trying to tear it itself out of his chest, and through a haze of pain and agony, he saw the old man's eyes come alight with triumph and greed. _

"_Leave him alone!" A dark haired blur streaked up from behind Xavier and collided hard with the old man and shoved him away. The old man snarled in sudden rage, and Xavier felt something akin to an electric shock when his rescuer turned back to face him._

_It was the dark haired, blue eyed young he'd seen in the mirror, the one that resembled him so much._

"_Xavier!" he yelled as he pushed the furious old man away "Don't let him win! Don't let him take control of you! If you want to ever see your family again, do not let him have your heart! I will hold him back as long as I can, but you must find a way to separate him from you! Do you understand? I can't hold him back forever, so you must find a way to force him out of your heart, or he will take control of you again and destroy everything and everyone you hold dear, like he did to me!"_

_Xavier felt himself being drawn backwards away from the two men, and the younger one shouted one last thing at him. "Don't use your keyblade! Using it allows him to get a firmer grip on you! Use mine instead!" The old man snarled something again and threw the younger away from him, but he was unable to reach Xavier as he vanished into the waking world._

**OOOOOO**

"Hey!" An insistent voice fell on his ears, accompanied by the feel of someone shaking him. Xavier was startled awake, and a frightened yelp was heard as he opened his eyes and looked around. He was lying on the sleeping bag in the little cave that Emyd had shown him, and Emyd himself was sitting on the sandy floor on the other side, his green eyes wide with shock and fright. The reason for that soon became clear when Xavier saw that his left arm was extended, and he was holding a keyblade, pointed at Emyd threateningly. He had just enough presence of mind to note that it wasn't the one he had been using, before he dismissed the weapon and dropped his hand.

"Emyd?" he asked as guilt flooded his heart "Are you alright? I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that!"

Emyd stared at him for a moment longer, and then he shook his head. "I'm okay. I was worried." he said as he gnawed on his lower lip "You seemed to be having a bad dream, but I couldn't wake you up. And then you woke up and you had that keyblade pointed at me, and -" Emyd's face suddenly brightened. "Hey! That means you are a keyblade user! That means I win the bet! Ha! I finally won a bet with Luxord!" His face sobered abruptly. "Too bad, I don't know where's he's at to collect. Damn, there was a lot of munny in that pot."

Xavier raised an eyebrow; was this kid bi-polar or something?

Emyd sighed. "Anyway," he said, suddenly cheerful again "I brought you some breakfast." With that he handed over a small tin of blueberry muffins and a thermos of coffee. As Xavier dug into the food, Emyd sat down against the wall and began to chatter away about various things. Xavier listened with half an ear, until he heard a certain word.

...keyblades hurt when they hit you, and..."

"Wait," Xavier said around a mouthful of muffin "What can you tell me about the keyblades?"

Emyd shrugged. "Only what Xemnas told me. Those that wield the keyblades can either save the worlds or destroy them. They can open any lock, but they can also seal the worlds' keyholes, preventing the Heartless from getting to the worlds' hearts and devouring them. The Heartless though use the keyblade as a beacon, and no matter where they go, keyblade wielders area always being followed by them."

"Are there many keyblade wielders?"

"Right now there are seven that I know of, no wait, eight, since you're one too, but that's all."

"Who are they?"

"Sora, Kairi, and Riku are the three that live here, when they're not looking for Xehanort." A weird look crossed Emyd's face then, like something had just occurred to him, but he continued on without stopping. "Roxas -"

"From the Organization?"

"Ummm, yeah, he travels with them sometimes, and so does King Mickey: he's another one. Aqua and Ventus are also looking for Xehanort..." Emyd trailed off, and he looked at Xavier, who had paused in eating. "What did you say your name was again?"

"Xavier."

"I thought Xemnas' Other was named Xehanort."

Xavier shrugged. "Maybe I'm not Xemnas' Other. I certainly can't remember. Xavier is the name my adoptive parents gave me."

"No, you're definitely Xehanort. You looked so much Xemnas, it's creepy. You're a little thinner and less built than him, and your hair is slightly different, but other than that you look just like him. Oh, and you're eyes are brown instead of orange, but that's probably because you aren't in touch with the Dar-" Emyd's words were stopped abruptly, and his eyes widened in horror as he clapped his hands over his mouth.

"What?" Xavier asked impatiently "What were you going to say?"

"Nothing!"

"Emyd..." he growled, and the blond let out a frightened squeak as he tried to scoot even further away.

"You have NO idea how much you sounded like Xemnas then."'  
>"What are you not telling me, Emyd?" He leveled a glare at the sitar player and was rewarded when his face crumbled along with his resolve.<p>

"Okay!" he squeaked "I'll tell you! Just promise to stop looking at me like Xemnas did whenever I screwed up a mission!"

"Then start talking."

Emyd sighed. "Even after we regained our hearts, we kept our Nobody powers."

"Nobody powers?"

"Nobodies aren't supposed to exist, but they did, and they broke the rules of the universe by doing so, at least that is what Vexen and Zexion said." He trailed off and Xavier leveled another glare at him, which caused him to squeak again and continue. "All of them had powers of some kind. Demyx could control water, Xiggy could control gravity, and Marluxia had power over nature itself."

Well, Xavier thought, that explains the cherry blossom petals. "What could Xemnas control?" he asked.

Emyd swallowed thickly. "Nothingness." he whispered.

"Nothingness? How does one control nothingness?"

"I don't know." Emyd replied, still speaking in a hushed whisper "But he was the most powerful of the Organization, and everyone else held him in fear and respect. None of us wanted him truly furious with us."

"Was he cruel?"

"No," Emyd shook his head. "but he was strict, and he could be dangerous if something or someone made him furious. He was angry with Demyx several times, but at most he would chew him out and have Saïx assign him the suckiest missions in existence. Demyx never saw Xemnas furious, but Luxord did once. He wouldn't say what happened exactly, but he came back to the castle pale and shaking, and all he would say was that it hadn't been a pleasant sight. They all knew that Xemnas could be dangerous, but to learn that he hadn't cared about them at all was pretty tough." The blond grinned suddenly. "We were like a big family, a bit on the dysfunctional side, but we looked after each other, but then..." He trailed off again, and that time, a glare didn't do any good.

"What happened?" Xavier asked after a long moment of Emyd staring at nothing, his mind far away.

The blond sighed, and his shoulders slumped. "Xemnas happened. Marluxia, Larxene, Saïx, and Axel figured out that he wasn't out to get their hearts back, and they set up their own plots to overthrow him. Things fell apart from there." He shook his head, as if he were shaking off old memories "You had better leave soon. Sora and company could return at any time, and if they see you here, you'll end up with quite the fight on your hands. I recommend that you pay a visit to Radiant Garden."

"Why?"

"Even and Ienzo are there, and they are the ones most likely to know where you can find Naminé."

He saw a picture in his mind of a small girl with white blond hair."Who is Naminé and why would I want to find her?"

"She was a Nobody too, and she kept her powers after gaining a heart. Her power is over memory, and she might be able to help you."

"So to Radiant Garden it is. Now I just have to figure out how to get there."

"I can help you with part of that." Emyd stood up and gestured with his hand, and a large black portal just like the one that Raliaum had thrown him through appeared. "That will take you to Radiant Garden, but be careful. Xemnas, Xigbar, Xaldin, Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion were all from Radiant Garden, and Xehanort was directly responsible for its destruction. People won't be too thrilled to see you there."

"Yet you're telling me to go there."

"If you want answers, you'll have to talk to Naminé, and if you want to talk to Naminé, you'll have to talk to Even and Ienzo, and if you want to talk to Even and Ienzo, you'll have to go to Radiant Garden."

Xavier sighed. "Fine." he said and stood up and walked towards the swirling portal, trying to ignore the sick feeling in his heart it caused.

"Good luck, Xavier." Emyd said softly with a small smile "I hope you find your family."

Xavier managed a wry smile in return. "Thanks." Then he walked into the swirling blackness of the portal.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer; Disney and Square owns it all; I only wish I did. Why in the hell cant I come up with these wickedly cool characters and twisted plots? Why?**

**A/N: Sorry about the wait, but Minecraft mulitplayer stole my life. XD **

**8.**

It was dark in the world of Radiant Garden when Xavier stepped out of the portal, but even in the dim light of a few streetlights, it was plain that the place had been ravaged by some sort of disaster. Hadn't Emyd said that Xehanort had been responsible for its destruction?

Xehanort... Xavier heaved a sigh. Xehanort, his original self, according to Emyd, and from what the sitar player had told him, it seemed that he hadn't been a nice person in any way, shape, or form. Maybe he should just stop his Find-Out-Who-I-Am Quest and return home... except he had no home to return to. If he was ever going to find a way to get home, he needed answers, and if it meant speaking to this Naminé person that Emyd had told him about, well...

With another sigh, Xavier began to walk out of the courtyard that he had appeared in towards an open gate that led to a residential street. If Xehanort was truly from Radiant Garden, then he was going to have to find a place to hide before dawn; it wouldn't be any good for people to see him wandering around. Of course, that just raised the question; where _was_ he going to hide? It wasn't like there were a lot of empty buildings lying about, and those that were, were obviously empty because they were on the verge of falling down on themselves. He knew – he supposed it was because Xehanort had lived there – that there had been an extensive underground at one time, but he was unaware of what kind of shape it was in or even it if was accessible anymore. That meant he was -

A child's crying distracted him from his thoughts, and he felt a stab on pain in his chest as the sound reminded him of Alexander. He suddenly missed them all so much that he sank to his knees in the cobblestone street, weighted down by the grief that he had been holding back. How long had it been since Haven's Bridge had been destroyed? Had it really only been four days? A few tears burned in his eyes, and he tried to blink them away, but this only caused them to fall softly to the street below. A wracking sob rose somewhere from deep in his chest and burst out of his mouth before he could stop it, and then he was crying in the middle of a darkened street, in a world that was bound to be hostile to him.

So wrapped up in his grief, he barely noticed the sound of a door opening nearby or soft footsteps behind him. "Xavier?"

Xavier gasped, jumped to his feet, and spun around to see a familiar face behind him. "Taylor," he choked out, and he threw his arms around the elderly master physician and held on tight, crying on his shoulder.

He heard a warm chuckle, and the old man's arms came around him. "There now, don't cry, Xavier. You're here, and you're safe, and that is what is important. Now come inside." Xavier let go of the man, stepped back, and wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his rumpled lab coat, while Taylor took him by the elbow and began to lead him to a tiny house just a short distance away. Once they were inside the warm, well lit interior, and the door was securely shut and bolted behind them, Taylor gently pushed Xavier into a chair at the small kitchen table and shortly thereafter pushed a hot cup of coffee into his hands. Xavier stared down into it as his master sat down across from him.

"Are you alone, Xavier?" the doctor asked, and Xavier nodded.

"I've been trying to find them." he said quietly, still sniffling a little "but you're the first person from Haven's Bridge that I've run into so far."

"I woke up here." Taylor explained as he sipped at his own coffee "This world – the people welcomed me, even though they have so little to give right now. It was explained to me that years ago, this world was destroyed and they were the ones seeking refuge, so I suppose they are returning the favor. I'm sure that they'll welcome you as well."

Xavier tried to hide his flinch at those words, but Taylor's sharp eyes were quick to notice it. 'Xavier? What is wrong?"

"I.. I can't stay here, Taylor. I came here to speak to two people that I was told could direct me to someone that could help me, but..."

"You found out something about your past, didn't you?"

"Yes." The whispered word was so quiet that Xavier barely heard himself speak it. If Emyd had been telling the truth, and he had no reason to believe that the sitar player had been lying to him, then he had every reason to keep what he had learned to himself. At the same time, this was Taylor, the man who had saved his life, who had helped care for him while he recovered, and who had taken him on as an apprentice.

He saw Taylor's shadow move, followed by the sound of a chair being scooted across a wooden floor. A second later, a comforting hand came down gently on his shoulder. "Just tell me, Xavier. Whatever you say, I won't judge you. I consider you a son, and nothing will change that."

Xavier felt a stab of pain – _That's what Master Ansem had said _– but he began to talk anyway. He wanted, desperately needed, to tell someone. "My real name is Xehanort, and I destroyed this world." Taylor inhaled sharply, but he said nothing, and Xavier told him what he had learned: his ability to wield a keyblade, the dreams that he was certain were memories of himself and a boy named Eraqus, how Xehanort had destroyed Radiant Garden, Xemnas, the Nobodies and the Heartless, Organization XIII, the plots to overthrow Xemnas so the others could get their hearts back, the destruction of Xemnas and the others at the hands of Sora, how others were searching for Xehanort to destroy him, and finally he told of the meeting with the frightening old man, and the dark haired young man that was holding him back until Xavier could separate the old man from himself.

Not once did Taylor speak, and when Xavier finally fell silent, emotionally and physically drained, the older man simply stood up, and pulled Xavier to his feet with him.

"Come," he said "You're exhausted. Let's get you to bed, and we can talk more tomorrow. Besides there is something upstairs that needs your attention." Xavier was too wrung out to ponder that statement as he followed the doctor up the narrow stairs to the second floor. The second floor was simply a single room that was being used as a bedroom. There was one bed on the one side, obviously Taylor's bed, and on the other side of the room was a smaller bed, with a small form huddled under the blankets, fast asleep. Blond hair lay splayed out on the pillow, and Xavier walked quickly up to the small bed, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"Alexander," he breathed, and at the sound of his name, the child stirred and woke. His gray eyes blinked open, and he looked up at Xavier for a moment like he wasn't sure what he was seeing.

"Xav'er?"

Xavier wasn't aware that he had moved; one second he was standing by the bed unable to believe his eyes, the next he had Alexander in his arms, crying as he held the child close. A small pair of arms wound around his neck.

"Don't cry, Xav'er. Don't be sad."

Xavier managed a watery chuckle. "I'm not sad, Alexander; I'm just so happy to see you safe." The boy nestled closer, and a few minutes later, he relaxed in Xavier's arms as he went back to sleep.

Taylor's hand came down gently on his shoulder then. "Go to bed, Xavier. We can talk more in the morning."

The younger man nodded tiredly and carefully laid Alexander in bed, before he kicked his boots off, stripped off his lab coat and curled up beside him. The child curled close to him with a contented sigh, and Xavier allowed himself to fully relax for the first time since his home had been destroyed, and soon he was sleeping as well.

**OOOOOO**

It was the feel of something tickling his nose and a child's quiet giggles that woke Xavier in the morning. He opened his eyes to see Alexander's impish smile as the boy used a few strands of Xavier's own hair to tickle his nose. Xavier smiled and went straight for his ticklish spot, right under his chin, and the child shrieked with laughter. There was a quiet chuckle from the stairs, and Xavier looked over to see Taylor standing at the top, his eyes alight with amusement.

"Sorry to interrupt your fun, but breakfast is up if you're hungry." He then vanished downstairs, and Xavier turned to Alexander, who was still giggling. "Hungry?" The boy nodded eagerly, so Xavier hauled himself out of bed, hoisted the toddler into his arms, and walked downstairs to the kitchen.

Breakfast was a simple affair, consisting of cold cereal, dry toast, and fruit, but Xavier, who hadn't had a full on meal since Twilight Town, ate like he was starving. Afterwords, he and Taylor managed to distract Alexander with a few toys in the living room, while they discussed things at the kitchen table.

"So you came to this world to find someone?" Taylor asked, as the two of them had a second cup of coffee.

Xavier nodded. "Emyd said that Even and Ienzo would be able to tell me where to find Naminé, and that she has power over memory."

"Intriguing..." the elder trailed off, looking thoughtful, and Xavier envied his calm, as if finding out about things like Heartless and Nobodies, and that his apprentice had been an homicidal maniac previously were everyday occurrences. And if _that_ was the case, Xavier seriously had to wonder about what kind of life Taylor had been living. "So I suppose that should start looking then."

"Tonight. I don't think it would be safe for me to go out during the day, not in this world. Of course, then I'll have to figure out how to get into the castle."

"They are in the castle then?"

Xavier frowned; how did he know for certain that they were at the castle? He supposed it was Xehanort's knowledge showing through; according to Emyd, the first six members of Organization XII were from Radiant Garden, so maybe they had known each other before the world's destruction.

Xavier passed the daylight hours with Alexander, playing with him, reading to him, and just enjoying being in his company. He was disheartened that no one else from Haven's Bridge had appeared, but he supposed that they could be on other worlds somewhere. Alexander, for his part, clung to his older brother like he had been glued to him and refused to move for than a few feet away from him. Taylor admitted that the boy had been distraught since their arrival and cried for his parents and siblings frequently, so the quiet clinginess was a welcome change.

At some point in the late afternoon, as the pair built a tower with wooden blocks in front of a window, Xavier heard a voice that immediately made him snatch the child up and back away from the window out of sight.

"Xav'er?"

"Shh." Xavier shushed him as he listened to the voice that he could not recall hearing but knew all the same. He also knew somehow that being spotted by the owner of the voice would not end well for him.

"Gimmie a break, Kairi." said the voice, that of a teenaged boy, and a teenaged girl's voice answered.

"We have to be at the castle soon, Sora, so we don't have time to stop and get ice cream. Besides you'll probably eat so much that I'll stomp you easily at sparring practice later."

A third voice, also belonging to a teenaged boy, laughed. "You know we have to meet Even soon, Sora, so no ice cream for us. At least not for now."

"Do any of us know what he wants to talk about?" the girl – Kairi – asked.

"If he's anything like Vexen, he wants to strap us down to a lab table and experiment on us." Sora said dryly, and the second boy – Xavier knew that his name was Riku – laughed again.

"Hopefully, Ienzo won't slap us with books like Zexion did."

"Hey, hey, Zexion only slapped _you_ with books. I never met him."

"Well at least you two weren't locked up in the Castle That Never Was, like I was."

There was a two part growl from the two boys. "Good thing we don't ever have to worry about Saïx again. Ansem had said he's never letting him out as a lesson to the rest." Riku stated.

"They all committed their fair share of crimes, yet only Isa has to suffer for it." Kairi added "That's not fair. Axel did some nasty things, yet Lea walks free and even took you two out the other night and got you both drunk!"

"Heh heh." Xavier couldn't see them, but he just knew that the two boys were scratching their heads sheepishly. "Did you have to bring that up?" Sora groaned.

"Besides Kairi," Riku added "We haven't found where Xehanort and Braig vanished off to yet.. When we do find them, it's a death sentence for both of them, not prison."

Xavier shuddered.

"We were so close to then last time." Sora lamented "Braig faced us once, and ran as soon as he can."

"Xehanort looked pretty sick to me last we saw them." Riku said "So Braig probably wanted to get him someplace safe."

"And then Braig led us all over the universe in that wild goose chase, and last we saw him, he didn't have Xehanort with him."

"I'm willing to bet Way to the Dawn that he left Xehanort somewhere to recover and then ran to lead us away from him."

"That last part definitely worked really well. We've been looking for two years and we haven't seen any sign of Xehanort anywhere. No sign of Braig either, for that matter."

Xavier frowned thoughtfully; so Braig had left him on Haven's Bridge then? If that was the case, why had he never come back for him? Or maybe he had, but upon seeing that Xavier had no memory, had left again without contacting him?

"You three are late." A fourth voice – a man's voice – intruded on their conversation, and Xavier's train of thought came to an abrupt halt. He couldn't stop himself; he _knew_ that voice as well as he knew his own, so he peeked out the window through the sheer curtains to see a tall, thin blond haired man, wearing black pants, black boots, a white lab coat, and a purple ascot walking up to the three teens.

"Even," Xavier breathed as the blond man stopped and began to talk to the three. After a few minutes the teens walked away in the direction of the castle, and Even turned to follow them.

But then he stopped and his green eyed gaze landed directly on the window that Xavier was looking out of. Xavier ducked back out of sight and hoped that he hadn't been seen. After a moment he risked a quick look out and saw that the street was empty.

**OOOOOO**

It was after dark when Xavier checked on Alexander, who was sound asleep in bed, accepted a hug from Taylor, and eased the front door open and slipped out into the darkened street. He knew that as long as he was careful and stuck to the shadows, getting to the castle would be easy. Getting inside was another matter, but he resolved to worry about that when he got there.

He walked down the street, sticking close to the houses and avoiding the few streetlights, wishing that he could just open a portal and step through like Emyd had done, and wait a second. When had it gotten cold enough for him to see his breath?

He gasped as icy air wrapped around him, stealing the breath from his lungs. The ground around him frosted over, and ice raced across the paving stones towards him and climbed up his legs, immobilizing him, and making him struggle not to fall over. Footsteps sounded on the street, and a tall figure stepped out of the shadows into the weak light cast by a nearby streetlight.

"I thought it was you that I saw. What are you doing here, Xehanort?" Even hissed angrily, and he held his left arm out. The air around his hand and lower arm them cooled, condensed, froze, and then coalesced into a large blue shield with five spikes along the top.

"I came to speak to you and Ienzo." Xavier replied as he eyed the shield with trepidation. He really didn't want to think of the damage it would do if Even were to use it on him.

The ice climbed even further up his legs, and the air around him cooled further. "I'm not letting you anywhere near Ienzo!" Even spat "After what you did, you are more arrogant that I ever thought possible for asking to see him!"

"I don't remember what I did!"

Even stared at him in disgust. "That excuse again? Please, Xehanort, how stupid do you think I am?'

"My name is Xavier!"

Even rolled his green eyes. "Of course it is." With that a portal opened right next to Xavier, and Even approached him as the ice around his legs began to melt. Just as the last of the ice broke and fell away, Even whopped him hard with his shield, sending him stumbling on numb legs into the portal. He found himself stumbling into a dimly lit laboratory, and he caught a brief glimpse of a large man with short bristly red hair, holding some kind of ax before said weapon struck him in the side of his head. Immediately, the sights and sounds around him vanished, and he crumpled to the floor, unconscious.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer; Disney and Square owns it all; I only wish I did. Why in the hell cant I come up with these wickedly cool characters and twisted plots? Why?**

**A/N: Writing Lea/Axel is fun. **

**A/N: I'm posting this at four in the morning, so if you find any massive screw ups, don't panic. I'll fix them after I've had some sleep... ZZzzzzz...**

**9.**

Xavier groaned as he came to, and for a brief panicked moment, he thought that the blow to his head that he had suffered had rendered him blind, for he could see nothing but inky darkness around him. He blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes, and he realized it was not his eyes but the fact that he was in a room that was completely dark. He could feel a cold stone floor under him and feel a draft coming from somewhere, and when he sat up, he heard metal clinking lightly. He then became of the weight on his wrists and realized that he was shackled to the floor.

Lucky for him that he somehow knew that no lock could stop a keyblade. The weapon appeared in a flash of light, and again he noticed that it wasn't one that he had been using, before he lightly tapped the shackles with it, which caused them to spring open. Shrugging the cold metal off onto the floor, he stood up and tried to feel his way around. Feeling the draft on his face, he walked slowly and carefully into it, using his keyblade like a cane to feel the floor in front of him, and in short order he came to a heavy steel door. He felt a stab of pain in his head -

_The man was screaming, begging, pleading for mercy. Xehanort watched with cold eyes as Aeleus dragged the struggling man down the dark corridor towards one of the unoccupied cells and frowned. With such raw fear being displayed so easily, this specimen wouldn't last long against the Heartless at all. They would have to find someone else soon._

_- _and then it was gone, leaving him slumped down on the floor, leaning against the door, gasping for air. What the hell? Xehanort? Aeleus? Dragging a struggling man – _a specimen!_ - to a cell? The Heartless? What had Xehanort done? Why?

Thinking about it was giving him a headache. Dragging himself to his feet, Xavier tapped the lock on the cell door with his keyblade, and it clicked open. Swinging the door open on surprisingly quiet hinges, he proceeded into the equally dark hallway. He reached out with his left hand and lightly touched the stone wall and used it as a guide as he walked slowly down the hall, listening for any sounds that might tell him if anyone was down there with him.

All was silent, save for the sounds of his footfalls and his breathing for several minutes, but after he had walked an unmeasurable distance down the pitch black corridor, a soft sound fell on his ears. He paused and cocked his head to listen, but the sound did not repeat itself. He started walking again, and eventually he came to a junction in the corridor. The draft was coming from in front of him, so he surmised that that was the way out, but then that soft sound fell upon his ears again, coming from his left. Keeping his hand on the wall to his left, he turned that direction and walked down another dark hallway, following the sound, though for the life of him he couldn't figure out why he was bothering. Surely getting out before Even told that he was down there was more important? Still, even as he thought about turning back, his feet carried him forward, until he came to a single cell door at the end of the corridor. Small whimpers occasionally sounded from the other side, and as temped as he was to open the door and go in, he admitted to himself that he had no idea who or what was imprisoned within.

"Why do you keep coming down here, Lea?"

Xavier jumped and just managed to stop himself from yelping in surprise as a voice, shockingly loud compared to the silence that had preceded it, echoed down to him.

_Roxas?_

"I can't just leave him down here alone in the dark all the time. We've been over this, got it -"

"- memorized. Yeah, I know, but every time you come down here, you end up depressed and drink yourself into oblivion." Roxas' voice softened. "It's time to let Isa go, Lea."

"No way am I leaving Isa down here all alone! Would you want to be left down here to rot with no one to visit you once in a while?"

"I wouldn't do anything to end up down here to begin with. Face it, Saïx was an utter bastard."

"Yeah, _Saïx_ was an utter bastard, but not Isa."

"This is the last time I'm coming down here with you, so you'll just have to fumble around the dark from now on. I can't stand watching you do this to yourself. Isa never responds to you anyway; he doesn't respond to anyone anymore."

"Well you'll be happy to learn that this is the last time I'm coming down here as well."

"I – What? Seriously?"

"Yup, because you're gonna help me get him out of here this time."

"_What!_"

"That keyblade of yours can open the locks on the door and open up his chains, and then I'm taking him out of here."

Back at the junction of the corridors, Xavier saw a faint glow appear, and it bobbed up and down slightly as it brightened and came closer. Frantically, he felt around for a place to hide, but there as no where to go that he could find but inside the cell behind him.

"Are you out of your mind! Where will you take him? How will you hide him, and that's if you managed to smuggle him out into the city without being seen! If you're caught, they'll execute him on the spot and throw you in his cell to take his place!"

The light rounded the corner, and two figures came into view. The shorter of the two had blond hair and was wearing an Organization black coat. The light was emanating from him, specifically the keyblade that he held in his hand, and it bobbed up in down in time with his footsteps. The second, taller, figure was also wearing an Organization coat, and his fiery red hair was styled into dozens of spikes off the back of his head.

_Axel..._

And to Xavier's dismay, they were walking straight towards him.

"Execution would be a mercy right now." Axel said sadly "Why they didn't just do that to being with, I'll never know."

Xavier pressed himself into the corner as the two walked closer. The light that Roxas was generating would fall upon him at any moment...

Axel – no Lea, Xavier reminded himself - jumped back in sudden surprise. "What the -!" He and Roxas stared in shock as Xavier tried to back even further into the corner. If the two of them reacted anything like Even and Aeleus had, then he would soon have a fight on his hands, something that he wished to avoid if at all possible.

"Xemnas!" Roxas shouted, and he immediately dropped down into his attack stance.

"Xavier!" Xavier snapped in response even as he wondered where the boy's second keyblade was at.

"Xehanort," Lea said easily "What are you doing down here?"

"I assume that Even and Aeleus threw me down here."

"Well, well, well, looks like you're trying to escape, so how did you get out or your cell?"

"No lock can stop a keyblade, you know that."

The statement caught the two off guard." Keyblade?' Roxas said questioningly as he stood up from his attack stance. In response Xavier simply held his hand out and the keyblade that he had used to open his door appeared in his hand.

"Wow, very impressive, Xehanort." Axel said "Simply amazing, but we can't let you leave. Sora and the others have been looking for you for a long time. Besides," He held his hands at his sides, and his two chakrams appeared in whirls of flame "if I catch you, I might be able to convince them to allow me to take Isa home."

"I can let Isa out for you." Xavier said, trying to stall for time as Roxas went back into his stance. There was no other way out but through them, and they obviously knew the place better than he did. What's more, they had a light source; he did not.

"So can Roxas." Axel said, and Xavier caught a faint whiff of smoke as the fire elemental prepared to attack.

"Yes, but he doesn't want to let Isa go."

"And you do, I suppose."

"I'm not going to stop you from taking him."

"Neither is Roxas."

"Damn it, Axel, I don't want to fight you! I'm just trying to find my family and my home!"

The smell of smoke faded as Lea relaxed slightly, though Roxas was still ready to attack at any moment. "Oh really? Last I heard, Xehanort had no family. Oh and the name's Lea, L-E-A, got it memorized?"

This was his chance. "I woke up someplace, and I couldn't remember anything. The family that found me adopted me, but then the Heartless came and..." Xavier swallowed thickly and blinked away a few tears that chose to appear at that moment.

"And?" Lea's chakrams had disappeared, and he folded his arms over his chest, still looking skeptical, but at least he was listening.

"My little brother and master are here in Radiant Garden, but everyone... everyone else is gone."

"So how did Even and Aeleus happen to find you?"

"Emyd told me that they could tell me where to find Naminé, and that she could help me -"

Lea's green eyes brightened considerably. "You saw Demyx? How's he doing?'

"Well as far as I could tell."

Roxas spoke up then, still holding his keyblade threateningly. "We're getting off track here. So you were told that Even and Aeleus could tell you where to find Naminé. Obviously that's not what happened."

"Even shoved me through a portal, Aeleus thumped me on the head, and I woke up here."

From the cell behind Xavier came a quiet moan, which caused Lea and Roxas to pause for a moment. Finally the red head looked at him. "I'm taking a risk here, Xehanort -"

"Xavier! X-A-V-I-E-R! Got _that_ memorized?"

Lea chuckled. "Xavier it is. I'm taking a risk here. I came down here to get Isa, not get into a battle. Step aside so I can get to him, and I'll let you go. I won't even say that I saw you down here."

"Are you sure about this, Lea?" Roxas asked warily "This _is_ Xemnas we're talking about here."

"It's simple, Roxas." Lea explained "He escapes, and Isa mysteriously vanishes from his cell. People will assume that he took his former second-in command with him when he left. It will never occur to them that someone else had taken him."

"That's it?" Xavier said incredulously, even as he wanted to sag with relief "You're just going to let me walk out of here." His eyes narrowed in sudden thought. "Wait, I have a better idea. You lead me out of here, so I don't get hopelessly lost, and I won't tell anyone that I saw _you_ down here."

Lea's eyes flashed for a moment. "Is that a threat?"

"Take it how you will. If I'm going to get out of here without getting caught, I'll need a guide and a light. If you want to keep Isa safe, you'll need people to assume that I took him and fled. It will be much easier for the latter to be believed if they don't find me wandering around here without him."

Lea regarded him for a long moment, and then a whimper came from the cell. "Agreed. We lead you out in exchange for making our story believable."

"_Our_ story?" Roxas asked, but he made no other sounds of disagreement.

Xavier nodded. 'Agreed then." And with that he tapped the lock on the cell door with the keyblade in his hand. The lock opened, and Lea pushed past him and walked in. Roxas followed, and after a moment's hesitation, Xavier went in as well.

The cell stank. The smell rocked Xavier backwards, and he had to swallow the bile that rose in his throat and breathe through his mouth like Taylor had instructed him to do when dealing with foul smells. It smelled of unwashed body, sickness, and human waste. By the light that Roxas was giving off, he could see that the cell was tiny, not even enough for a grown man to lay out in. Xavier had to lower his head a bit to prevent it from bumping the ceiling. Flies buzzed about in the tiny space, and he found his eyes drawn to a still figure lying naked on the floor against the opposite wall. The sounds of labored breathing echoed in the space, and there was another soft moan as Lea knelt down on the floor beside the figure.

Roxas' warm yellow glow allowed Xavier to see bone white, papery skin stretched over an emaciated frame, hair that was so filthy that it was black and filled with bugs, and worst of all, the scratches and claw marks around Isa's closed eyes, as if he had tried to tear them out of his face. The doctor in him demanded that he look closer to see in there was anything that he could do, so he knelt down next to Lea and began to look Isa over.

His pulse was weak, slow, and unsteady. His breathing was labored and shallow and carried the fetid smell of a massive respiratory infection. Isa gave a weak, watery cough that shook his frail body, and then he went still again. His eyes, green, were dull, unfocused, and glazed with fever when Xavier gently peeled back the lids to look at them. The skin of his wrists and ankles had been worn away by the too small shackles that he was locked in, and his hands and feet were freezing cold, even though the rest of him burned with fever. Even though he was conscious, Xavier seriously doubted that he was aware, and he knew with a certainty that, without medical attention, he wouldn't survive for much longer. Even with it, he still might not make it.

"He needs a doctor immediately." Xavier said quietly as he tapped his keyblade to the shackles to open them. Bloody flesh came off with them, but Isa gave no sign that he felt anything as Lea took off his black coat and carefully wrapped him in it.

"I'll have to take him to another world then." Lea said quietly as he gently gathered Isa into his arms and stood up.

Xavier stood as well. "No, he won't make it. He needs one now.'

"I can't exactly walk into the local clinic and ask them to treat him, you know."

"That's why we're going to take him to my master. Taylor is a doctor, and will at least be able to stabilize him long enough for you to get him offworld to a hospital. Can you open a portal to the central square?"

"No one is going anywhere." said a voice from behind them, and they spun around – with Lea cradling Isa close to him – to see Ienzo, grown and dressed the same way that Even had been, standing in the doorway to the cell.

"We don't have time for this, Ienzo." Lea said irritably.

"Oh but we do. We have all the time in the world. Breaking a prisoner out will not look good to Ansem, Lea, Roxas, and consorting with Xehanort will make it even worse."

"Xavier!" Xavier snapped for what seemed like the millionth time. He was getting so tired of people calling him by t_hat_ name. Ienzo's blue eyed gaze focuses on him at that.

"And what are you doing, Xehanort? Planning to reform the Organization, starting with your second-in-command? Saïx was such a fool for getting close to Xemnas, and look what it cost him." He gestured to Isa's dying body.

"Says the man who tried his damnedest to become Xemnas' second-in-command himself." Xavier snarled "The only reason that you didn't was because Saïx had you eliminated first! Or have you forgotten that already, _Zexion_!" The former Cloaked Schemer was unable to completely contain his flinch at the sound of his Nobody's name, but Xavier ignored it and continued on. "As for me, all I want is to find my family and find a way to restore the world that I call home, but can I do that? Noooooo! I've got all these people that seem utterly convinced that I'm evil incarnate, and I'm sick of it!" Roxas and Lea looked at him in shock, and in Lea's case, slight admiration, but he ignored them. "I'm not Xemnas! I am not Xehanort! I don't REMEMBER being them! I don't remember anything that they are accused of! I woke up one day in a bed with no idea who I was or where I came from, and if the Heartless hadn't destroyed the world that my adoptive family is from, I would still be there, working on my apprenticeship and helping out on the farm! So don't you dare, don't you _dare_, accuse me of anything, for I have done nothing but travel the worlds to try and find some answers! And right now, I'm trying to get Isa the medical treatment that he needs to live, and _you are standing in my wa_y_!_ So unless you want to know what it feels like to have a keyblade rammed through your chest you will step aside and not say a word about any of this!"

Other than his slight flinch at the sound of his former name, Ienzo looked completely composed and unruffled, though the look in his eye that wasn't hidden behind his bangs had changed slightly. Xavier couldn't put his finger on exactly what was different about it, but he was totally unprepared for Ienzo's reaction to his rant.

"Very well." he said "I will allow you to take Isa to this doctor – yes, I heard everything that was said – and in turn you will explain everything to me. If you are telling the truth, then I will convince Even and Aeleus to not tell anyone that you are here. If you are lying... well, things will get unpleasant for you. And, in case you're wondering how I will know if you're being truthful," He smirked. "Let's just say that I can smell a lie.'

Xavier looked to Lea and Roxas, and the nodded to him, so he turned back to Ienzo. "Agreed.' he said simply, and Lea opened a portal. Roxas went through it first, followed by Lea and Isa. Xavier went next, and he stepped through the portal to the area that he had appeared in when he first arrived in Radiant Garden. It was dark out, something that he was relieved for, even as he wondered how long he had been lying unconscious in the cell. Ienzo stepped through the portal last, and it closed behind him, and Xavier began to lead them to Taylor's house.

The light was on in the kitchen, and the door swung open when Xavier knocked. Taylor took one look at the group on his doorstep, before his gaze focused on Isa lying motionless in Lea's arms. He stepped back away from the door and held it open. "Bring him inside, quickly."

The group walked into the house, and Taylor led them up the stairs to the bedroom and directed Lea to lie Isa down on the larger bed. Xavier spared a glance over to the smaller bed to see Alexander sleeping soundly under the blankets before he turned his attention back to Isa.

"I need you help, Xavier." Taylor called, and Xavier walked forward to assist his master like he had done so many times before as Taylor spoke to the others in the room without taking his eyes off of his patient "He needs to be in a hospital. Why have you brought him here?"

"We can't take him to a hospital." Xavier replied "I'll explain later, but please trust me when I say that he cannot be seen." Taylor looked up at him, but only for a moment as he began a cursory exam.

After only a few minutes, he looked back up. "You are absolutely sure that you cannot take him to a hospital? There is little I can do for him here, and he will die if he doesn't get help soon."

Ienzo stepped forward. "What do you need? I can get it for you if you give me a list."

Taylor rattled off a long list of things, including antibiotics, bandages of various kinds, supplies needed for an IV drip, and many other things that Xavier couldn't keep track of. Ienzo, on the other hand, simply summoned a large book – his Lexicon, the Book of Retribution, Xavier realized – and began writing everything down. Once the list was complete, he snapped the book shut, opened a portal, and stepped through.

Lea whispered anxiously to Roxas: "What if he doesn't come back?" and the blond keyblade wielder had no answer. Xavier was wondering the same thing, but he shoved it to the back of his mind as he and Taylor did what they could for Isa while they waited. They sat him up and propped him on pillows and blankets to help him breathe a little easier, cut his filthy, bug infested hair off, bathed him as best they could, and cleaned the claw marks and scratches around his eyes. The rest would have to wait until Ienzo returned.

Thankfully, they did not have to wait long, for about ten minutes after Ienzo left, a portal opened into the room, and boxes began sliding through. Taylor directed Lea and Roxas to bring the boxes over to the bed, and the elderly doctor began unpacking the supplies with Xavier's assistance. Finally, Ienzo came through carrying an oxygen tank and tubing, and the portal closed behind him. Taylor immediately directed Xavier to set the oxygen up, while he carefully inserted an IV drip into the large vein inside Isa's right elbow. Ienzo set up the stand for it, and soon antibiotics, a mucus thinner, and fluids were being delivered through the line directly into Isa's bloodstream. Xavier slipped the nasal cannula behind Isa's ears and carefully inserted the two little prongs into his nose, before he reached over and turned the oxygen on. Taylor put a second IV in Isa's other arm, this one to deliver much needed nutrients, and then master and apprentice turned to cleaning and dressing the open wounds around his wrists and ankles. Finally they carefully dressed him in the hospital gown that Ienzo had sent through in one of the boxes, covered him with blankets, and sat back away from the bed.

"It is out of our hands now." Taylor said as he wiped his forehead "Either he'll pull through or he won't."

"Isn't there more that you can do?" Lea asked desperately, and the doctor only shook his head.

"Both of his lungs are filled with fluid, and he had been starved nearly to death, child. Frankly, I class it as a miracle that he has lived this long. I would rather him be in a hospital so he could be closely monitored more easily, but there is nothing that they would do that we haven't already done." He looked at Xavier sternly. "And you, young man, have got a lot of explaining to do."

Xavier ducked his head and said meekly: "Yes, Taylor."

"Yes, " Ienzo said from where he stood by the bed, arms folded over his chest. "He does."

The group, with the exception of Lea, who stayed upstairs to keep and eye on Isa, filed downstairs to the kitchen, where they sat down at the table, and coffee was made and distributed. Once everyone had their mugs, Ienzo turned to Xavier.

"Explain," he said simply, and Xavier nodded, took a deep breath, and began to talk, with Taylor filling in when needed. It was Taylor that told of how Masa had found Xavier, unconscious and convulsing from a raging fever and carried him to his parents house, how they had feared that the young man wasn't going to pull through, their relief when he fever finally broke after several days, and his long recovery.

Xavier took up the tale from there, and he talked of his adoption into Elissa and Jascha's family when it became clear that he had no memory of his previous life, home, or family, working on the farm, being apprenticed to Taylor, and finally, the night that the Heartless came. He told them of how the Heartless and attacked Jascha and taken his heart, how the keyblade had come to him, his arrival in Twilight Town, and his travel through the worlds since then. He told them of his meeting with Raliaum, and the man's hostile attitude, even after Xavier saved his infant son.

"Ungrateful bastard." Roxas muttered, only to be silenced by a look from Ienzo.

Xavier continued his story: The World That Never Was, meeting Emyd, and how Emyd had advised him to find Even and Ienzo so they could tell him where to find Naminé, finding Taylor and Alexander safe in Radiant Garden, meeting Even, being thumped on the head by Aeleus, waking up in the prison cell, and finally, meeting Roxas and Lea.

When he fell silent, Ienzo looked at him for a long moment, and then he nodded once. "You are being truthful, so I will keep my end of the agreement. I will convince Even and Aeleus to keep silent about you, nor will I tell anyone where Isa is."

Xavier slumped down in his chair in relief; he had no doubt that Ienzo had the kind of influence over Even and Aeleus needed to make them keep silent. "Thank you."

"Still, though you were telling the truth, you weren't telling the entire truth." Ienzo's one eyed gaze looked at him intently. "What are you not saying?"

He hesitated; dare he tell them about the two personalities in his head that were warring with each other over him?

"Just tell them, Xavier." Taylor said tiredly "They can't help you if they don't know everything."

Xavier nodded, and with a sigh, he told of the two men, one young, one old, that he saw in his dreams, and the old man's plans for Kingdom Hearts. He also told of the young man and how he resembled Xavier so much, and how he was holding the old man back to prevent him from taking over, to give Xavier time to find a way to separate him off. Then he fell silent and looked between Ienzo and Roxas to see their reaction; would they think him crazy?

"Master Xehanort," Ienzo murmured.

"And Terra." Roxas added, and Xavier looked at them, confused.

"Who?"

Now it was Ienzo's turn to sigh. "You wanted answers, now you're going to get them, though you probably won't like what you're about to hear."

"I need to know." Xavier said quietly "Please tell me."

Ienzo nodded. "Very well. Years ago, there was a Keyblade Master by the name of Xehanort, who gave himself over to the Darkness. As he sank further into its depths and lost his ability to feel regret and guilt, he began to plan on how to replicate the Keyblade War."

"Keyblade War?"

"A war between all the universe's keyblade wielders." Roxas explained "They fought over control of the X-blade, a powerful weapon born of a heart of darkness and a heart of light. Whomever has the X-blade can use it to summon Kingdom Hearts directly to him or her." Seeing that Xavier still looked confused, he added: "Kingdom Hearts is the heart of all worlds, the entire universe if you want to go that way. It is the source of much power and wisdom, and many have tried to get their hands on it."

"The Keyblade War was so massive in scale, that it only ended when the universe was destroyed." Ienzo continued "When it was over, the worlds were gone, and only small fragments of light remained in the hearts of children. With those fragments of light, the children rebuilt the shattered worlds, or at least, that is what the legends say. No one really knows what happened at the end of the Keyblade War, but Master Xehanort wanted to know. To do that though, he needed to incite another one. To do that, he needed two things; the X-blade, and a vessel."

"Vessel?" Xavier didn't like the sound of that at all.

"Master Xehanort was an old man, and he knew that he likely would not live to see the end of the new Keyblade War once it began. So he began to plan to possess another and take control of their body. He first tried with Ventus, a young boy that he had taken on as an apprentice, but the child was too light for his plan to work. Using his own keyblade, he split the boy's heart in two, shearing off the darkness that we all possess and using it to create another being, a boy that he named Vanitas. He now had the heart of light and the heart of darkness that he needed to create the X-blade, now he only needed his vessel. He found it, when he took Ventus to his old friend Eraqus, so the other Keyblade Master could keep the boy until he was needed. One of Master Eraqus' apprentices had darkness in his heart, and Master Xehanort felt that, with encouragement, he could make it grow enough that the boy could be used as a vessel.

"When it came time for Terra and Eraqus' other apprentice, Aqua, to take their Mark of Mastery exam, Master Xehanort sabotaged Terra, causing him to fail the exam. He then played on the boy's anger and disappointment, and with Braig's help, slowly cultivated the darkness in Terra's heart, until finally, the boy was ready. Using his keyblade, Master Xehanort freed his heart from the confines of his old body, and he possessed Terra's body, wrenching control from Terra's heart. Just before this, Vanitas was able to rejoin with Ventus and create the X-blade, but Master Xehanort did not factor in the strength of Terra's will. Terra's rage managed to reanimate his discarded keyblade armor, and this animated armor defeated Master Xehanort and knocked him unconscious. At that moment, the X-blade was destroyed, and the explosion that resulted sent the unconscious Xehanort here, to Radiant Garden.

"Aqua followed him here, and the two fought, and towards the end of their battle, Terra started to regain control of his body. Xehanort, in desperation, used his keyblade on his new body, hoping to force Terra's heart out. Instead he locked both of their hearts away, and the body that they now shared fell into the Realm of Darkness. Aqua dove in after them, and sacrificed herself to get Terra out, leaving herself trapped in there.

The next day, Braig, one of Ansem's apprentices, who had been party to Xehanort's scheme, led Ansem to where the unconscious man was lying. With both of the hearts in his body locked away, he had no memory, only the name "Xehanort' which he gave as his name when asked. Ansem took him in, nursed him back to health, and Xehanort joined Braig, Dilan, Even, Aeleus, and myself as one of Ansem's apprentices."

Ienzo fell silent then, but the look he was giving Xavier told him that there was more to the tale, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to hear anymore. His stomach rolled in response to what he had heard and, he bolted from the table and ran into the bathroom, where he dry heaved into the toilet several times. He heard someone walk into the room behind him, and Taylor's hands began to gently rub circles on his back.

"This does not change who you are, Xavier." he said quietly "Yes, your past is extremely unpleasant, but you are not Master Xehanort. You are not a monster, you are Xavier, the adopted son of Elissa and Jascha, and my apprentice."

His heaves ended, and Xavier spent a few moments catching his breath before he responded. "I'm not sure that I want to know any more, even though I know that there is more to be told. What Ienzo said does not explain why people in this world are hostile to me. Xemnas and Organization XIII can't be all of it."

"You can hear the rest tomorrow. It is almost three in the morning now, and you have a nasty looking bump on your head that needs looked at. Once that is taken care of, you're going to eat and go to bed."

Xavier nodded and stood up on wobbly legs and walked back into the kitchen just in time to see Ienzo drink the last of his coffee and stand up from the table.

"I will finish this tomorrow." he said "I will talk to Even and Aeleus and then I will come here. Is that acceptable to you?"

Xavier nodded wearily. "Thank you, Ienzo."

"You are welcome, and about what you said earlier..." The blue haired man leaned over the table to stare right into Xavier's eyes. "I already know what it feels like to have a keyblade shoved into my chest, thank you." And with that parting statement, he opened a portal and walked through. Taylor took a few moments to check the bump on the side of Xavier's head, and he concluded that the younger man didn't have a concussion.

"As hard as he hit me," Xavier mumbled sleepily "I'm surprised that I'm not dead."

"Lucky you." Taylor told him as he slapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Now go take a bath, you need one." Grumbling about bossy masters that loved to order their apprentices around, Xavier got up from the chair and wandered into the bathroom, where he gladly drew and sank into a hot bath, his first since Twilight Town. A few minutes later, Taylor brought him a set of pajamas that he said he had bought in town earlier in the day. Once he was clean and feeling human again, Xavier had a quick meal of eggs and toast, and then he stumbled up the stairs to the bedroom. Taylor was checking on Isa, while Lea and Roxas snored on pallets on the floor. Xavier climbed into bed with Alexander, and despite how tired he was, he smiled widely when the child snuggled close to him in his sleep.

"Xav'er."

Wrapping his arms around the sleeping toddler, slightly surprised that he had not woken up when they were taking care of Isa earlier, Xavier snuggled into the mattress and was asleep within seconds.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer; Disney and Square own it all; I only wish I did. Why in the hell cant I come up with these wickedly cool characters and twisted plots? Why?**

**10.**

When Xavier dragged himself from the depths of sleep, he was alone in the bed, and the light coming through the windows told him that it was mid afternoon at least. He sat up and raked his fingers back through his hair and saw that he and Isa were the only ones in the room. He could hear conversation drifting up from downstairs, and he threw the blankets back and padded barefoot across the room to check on Isa.

He had improved slightly over night; his face had a little color to it, and his breathing wasn't as labored. His hands and feet had warmed up some as well. That said though, he still burned with fever, and Xavier could clearly hear the fluid popping and crackling in his lungs with every breath. A few seconds later, a weak, wet sounding cough shook the frail body, and Xavier carefully sat him up and gently thumped his back between his shoulder blades, hoping to dislodge the phlegm. A few coughs later, a large gob of foul smelling dark green sputum that was flecked with blood landed on the blankets, so he carefully laid Isa back against his pillows and began to clean up the mess.

Footsteps sounded on the creaky stairs, and Taylor appeared, followed by an anxious looking Lea, to check on his patient. Master and apprentice swapped out IV bags, changed the bandages on Isa's wrists and ankles, bathed him, and changed his gown. At some point, someone, likely Ienzo, had gotten a second oxygen tank, but there was still plenty of gas left in the first one, so it wasn't needed at the moment. Once they were done, Lea took up residence in the chair by the bed, and Taylor turned to Xavier.

"Once you're dressed and presentable, come downstairs." he said quietly "There are people waiting to speak to you." Xavier nodded, and once the master physician had gone downstairs, he washed his face in the basin that was by Isa's bed, dragged a comb through his hair and gave himself a quick shave. He then smoothed his rumpled clothes out as best he could, slipped his socks and boots back on, and walked down the stairs into the kitchen.

Ienzo was at the table, talking quietly with Taylor. Siting beside Ienzo, with his arms folded over his chest and wearing a look of extreme irritation upon his face, was Even. Beside the blond scientist sat Dilan, and aside him was Aeleus, and the red head's blue eyes tracked Xavier as he came down the stairs.

Taylor excused himself from the table, and he, along with Alexander, walked out of the house, leaving Xavier alone in the kitchen with people that had every reason to hate him.

The room was silent for a long moment, which made Xavier had to fight the urge to squirm under the four pairs of eyes that were staring at him, and then Even spoke.

"We shouldn't trust him." the blond spat, green eyes flashing "He's betrayed us twice already; what's to stop him from doing so a third time?"

"Even," Ienzo said warningly "He spoke the truth; he had no intention of harming any of us."

"For now," Dilan replied "What about later? Xehanort didn't start out as the monster than he became, if you remember."

"That is very true." Aeleus stated thoughtfully "What is to stop him from turning that way again?" They all focused their gaze on him, and Xavier looked down at the table top. What could he say?

"Hmph," came Even's voice "I say we turn him into Ansem to be dealt with now and wash our hands of the entire affair. We're already on thin enough ice as it is. If he finds out that we knew that Xehanort was here and said nothing, he'll condemn us to rot in the prisons along with Saïx."

"We are not going to turn him into Ansem." Ienzo said firmly "We are going to give him a chance."

"This is a mistake, Ienzo." Dilan added.

"He is going to get the same chance that we got." Aeleus said quietly "Or have we forgotten so soon that we were just as guilty as Xehanort was?"

"He led us down that path!" Even snapped.

"I didn't see any of us refusing either." Ienzo said easily. "He may have led us, but we followed willingly."

"Then be in on your head; I warned you." the blond snarled, and he stood up abruptly from the table and stalked out of the house. Dilan also stood up and walked out, but not before giving Xavier a dangerous look.

"Good luck, Xehanort." Aeleus said gently, and the big man also left the house, leaving Xavier alone with Ienzo.

The Cloaked Schemer stood up as well, which prompted Xavier to do the same. "I will sit with Isa. You need to go find Naminé." He gestured, and a portal appeared in the kitchen. "That will take you to her, but I must warn you. She does not live alone, and those she stays with will attack you on sight. Be careful."

Xavier nodded. "Thank you, Ienzo."

"Don't thank me yet. I lost ten years of my life because of you, Xehanort. Every sense I have is screaming for me to hate you, to turn you in to Ansem, so he can have you executed, but I remember a different Xehanort. I remember a lost foundling that was desperate for somewhere to belong, that just wanted a home and family to claim his own. I considered that Xehanort a friend, and I like to think that you are him, and will take the chance that I'm offering." Ienzo graced him with one of his rare smiles, and for a second, Xavier saw the bright eyed boy that he remembered, before the man spoke, and the image was destroyed. "Now go."

With a nod, Xavier walked through the portal. He barely heard Ienzo's quiet. "Good luck, Xavier." as it closed behind him.

**OOOOOO**

When Xavier stepped out of the portal, he was in front of a strange looking castle, with tan walls and green spikes all over the place.

_Castle Oblivion..._

His heart filled with an aching pain, and for a moment, he remembered a beautiful castle with five towers connected to four peaks by long golden chains, surrounded by green hills and sparkling water.

_This is our home, right Xehanort?_

_It certainly is, Eraqus. _

He walked quietly up the dirt path to the castle doors, and to his surprise, they opened before he could touch them. A teenaged girl with white blond hair and deep blue eyes poked her head out.

_Namin__é._

"Ienzo told me that you were coming." she said quietly "Hurry, come inside before the others see you." She beckoned him with one slim hand, and he hurried up the steps and slipped inside. She shut the doors behind him and began to trot out of the large white, gray accented room. "This way."

She led him through an endless maze of rooms and corridors, and he was hopelessly lost within minutes. Naminé, however, seemed to know exactly where she was going, and after a few more minutes, she led him into a simple room, furnished only with a bed and a desk. She carefully locked the door, and gestured for him to sit in the desk chair, while she sat nearby on the bed.

"You want to know what you can't remember." she stated simply, and Xavier nodded "Ienzo told me that you were not out to hurt anyone, that you just wanted to know. I can help you with that, but what are you going to do with those memories?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've regained memories once before, Xavier, and with them, Xehanort betrayed those that had taken him in, destroyed Radiant Garden, and tried to plunge the universe into darkness. So what will you do?"

Xavier looked down at the pristine white floor. "I... I just want to go home, but right now I've no home to return to."

"And?"

"Everyone hates me. I've been told some of it, but I really want to know the rest. I just need to know."

Naminé gave him a searching look, and then she nodded and patted the bed beside her. "Come lay down. This will be easier if you're lying down." The two of them swapped places, with Xavier moving to the bed, and Naminé taking the chair that he had vacated. He laid down on the soft white blankets and saw her pulling a sketchpad and pencils out of the desk drawer. Then she looked at him.

"Are you sure that you want to do this, Xavier?" she asked "Some things are best left forgotten."

"I need to know."

"Very well then. Close your eyes and try to relax."

Xavier let his eyes sink shut as his head sank into the pillow. He heard Naminé's pencil scratching across the surface of the paper in front of her as he slowly sank into the depths of sleep.

**OOOOOO**

When he opened his eyes, he was lying on the floor in the lab just off Ansem's office. Looking around in confusion, he shakily got to his feet.

"Why am I here?'" he asked out loud.

"Because this is where it began for us." said a voice, and he spun around to the doorway to see a familiar person standing there, leaning against the doorway.

"Xehanort?"

The young man, dressed in the same clothing that Even and Ienzo had been wearing, including the white lab coat and purple ascot, nodded, but did not move from his position. "We are in our mind, which, for now at least, you are in control of. Because of that, I can speak to you freely."

"Who are you exactly?"

Xehanort shrugged. "I am, or rather was, Xehanort. The lost foundling that was taken in by Master Ansem. I was, for intents and purposes, his adopted son, and I lived here in the castle with him and his other apprentices for three years."

"Was Xehanort?"

Xehanort smiled a sad smile. "I am merely an echo, Xavier, a memory, of the person you used to be. You are the personality in control of the heart now; basically, you are me reawakened. I'm sure that you know that there are two other personalities in your heart now, and young man, and an old man, correct?"

Xavier nodded warily. "What can you tell me about them, about us?"

Xehanort stood up from the door frame and began to walk slowly into the room, looking around in longing. "For two years, I lived here peacefully in Radiant Garden with my new family. Like you, I wanted to know about where I had come from. Had I been abandoned, cast out, kidnapped and then left to die? I had been near death when Braig led Master Ansem to me, so some suspected that the latter was the case. Master Ansem had his men search all over the world for anyone that could lay claim to me, but there was no one. Braig attached himself to me quickly; he claimed it was because he didn't want me to feel alone. He was lying, of course, but I wouldn't learn that until it was too late.

"Two years after I was found, Master Ansem became concerned about the darkness in peoples' hearts, and what could happen if that darkness were to grow out of control. He wished to unlock the secrets of the heart, but he needed a test subject for that. Braig encouraged me to volunteer, and though I was reluctant, I eventually agreed, enticed by his promises of regaining my memories if the tests succeeded. I was a fool to subject myself to that; no one knew what kind of effects it would have on me. Master Ansem was reluctant to experiment on someone that had no memory, but there were no other willing subjects available, so he agreed." Xehanort sighed with regret. "If I had known what the tests would awaken, I would have stayed for away from them."

"What did they wake up?" Xavier asked hesitantly.

"Our original persona," Xehanort said heavily as he looked to his left, and on the large glass window to Xavier's right, an image appeared like it had been projected there. "Master Xehanort."

Xavier slowly turned his head to face the window and was not surprised to see the creepy old man that spoke to him in his dreams.

"I began to dream of him." Xehanort continued, still staring at the image "He spoke of crazy things, the Keyblade War, the X-blade, the Darkness. I was frightened by him, but I was also frightened of what people might think if I told them. I confided in Braig, and he warned me to keep silent, that others would think me insane, and the experiments would be discontinued, and I might never regain my memories. I took his advice, and the experiments continued, but the dreams only became more vivid and disturbing. I began to remember things: a boy named Ventus, and young man named Terra, and how Master Xehanort had betrayed them and hurt them both so badly." The image on the window of the old man vanished, to be replaced with other images; of the young man that Xavier had seen, and a boy that greatly resembled Roxas, "I remembered killing one that I had once considered a brother and destroying his world. I often woke screaming in horror from those dreams, but no matter how many times Master Ansem or Even shook me awake, I wouldn't speak of what I had seen to them. I only told Braig, and he kept warning me to keep silent about it.

"He began to take control of me. I began to do and say things that I had not intended to say or do. I began to change, and Master Ansem stopped the tests on me, fearing that he had damaged me in some way, but it was too late. I finally decided to ignore Braig's advice and tell Master Ansem everything, but I found myself unable to speak of it. Whenever I tried, it felt as though someone was freezing the words in my mouth before I could give them voice. I spent hours trying to speak or write down the words, but I was never able to do so."

Moving images began to appear on the glass; of a frustrated Xehanort trying to speak, but finding himself unable, of sitting at his desk in his room, tears streaming down his face as he tried to force a pen to move across paper and getting nowhere. Those images were replaced by others: Xehanort speaking to the other apprentices and smirking in delight when they agreed to go along with him; dragging helpless townspeople into dark cells under the lab, and the inhumane experiments that they were subjected to.

"I was helpless to stop him, and soon, his takeover was complete, which forced me to be a mere spectator in my own body. I watched as he led the others down the path to darkness and destruction. I could do nothing to stop him from destroying the hearts of the innocent people that were kidnapped on his orders. I was trapped in my body, screaming in horror at what I was witnessing, but unable to to change anything. Master Xehanort had me firmly under control.

"One year after the experiments began, the remnants of the seal on our heart were broken, which allowed Master Xehanort to fully awaken. It was here, in this very room, where he put the next phase of his plan into motion." Xehanort looked up at the screen, as it showed him summoning the same keyblade that Xavier had used after the destruction of Haven's Bridge. He attacked Even first, as the eldest apprentice tried desperately to protect Ienzo, ripping out the blond's heart as Ienzo screamed in horror. He next went after Ienzo as the terrified child frantically shook Even's fading body and cried for him to wake up. Braig then wandered into the room, and he was quickly taken down, followed shortly thereafter by Dilan and Aeleus. Xehanort then walked calmly from the room, and found Ansem in the chapel. He quickly overpowered the older man and threw him into a dark portal. Ignoring the horrified castle servants, he then strode purposefully into the next room, where he used his keyblade to plunge the world into darkness. Heartless began to pour out of every shadow, and they swarmed the castle, attacking everyone that they came across.

In a scene that mirrored the destruction of Haven's Bridge almost exactly, the entire world began to break apart, swirling in a vortex and being dragged up into a orb of darkness in the sky.

The glass returned to normal then, and Xehanort continued. "I spent the next ten years as a spectator, as his Heartless wreaked havoc across the worlds, unable to interfere, but unable to stop watching. It was the purest form of torture. Eventually, Sora and his friends destroyed the Heartless and later the Nobody, which allowed the complete being, our heart in control of Terra's body, to be reborn, and it was shortly thereafter that an opportunity arose."

"What happened?"

"Master Xehanort fell ill. In his weakened and disoriented state, Terra and I were able to seize control back from him. We then closed off his memories, leaving me - you – in control once more. We knew it wouldn't stop him forever, but it would buy time. In doing so, you – or rather me – were reawakened. Like me, you remembered nothing. Like me, you were adopted into the family that found you. Like me, you wanted to know where you had come from. Unfortunately, like me, you began to remember things, which allowed Master Xehanort to start waking up."

"Is he... is he going to take control of me again?"

"Eventually, if you don't do anything to get rid of him."

"But how do I do that? We have the same heart!"

"Hearts can be split, Xavier. It is dangerous, but it can be done."

"But I don't know how to do that."

"Master Xehanort does, and since you share a heart, you can access his memories and his knowledge." He answered the question before Xavier could voice it. "Naminé will be able to help you in that regard, but before she does that, there are more things you need to know."

"Tell me."

"Our Heartless, which consisted of our own heart, as well as Terra's controlled the Heartless. They obeyed his every command, and once he was defeated, their numbers dropped drastically, as they had no one to direct them any longer. However, the lock that Terra and I placed weakened with time, which allowed an echo of him to awaken. He is not conscious or aware like I am, and for that matter, neither is Xemnas, our Nobody, but his power still called to the Heartless. It was that call that summoned the Heartless to Haven's Bridge."

Xavier's breath hitched as his eyes widened. He took a step backwards, stumbled, and slumped to the floor. "You mean, Haven's Bridge was destroyed because I was living there?" Tears stung his eyes, but he made no attempt to wipe them away as Xehanort knelt down in front of him and nodded sadly.

"It is not what you wanted to hear, Xavier, but it is a large part of the reason why the Heartless have been following you around. They are drawn to you because of who you once were. Being a Keyblade wielder does not help; they are drawn to the keyblades like magnets. They will always follow you because of that, but their numbers and frequency will decrease once the darkness in our heart that attracts them is destroyed. Once it is gone, the world's heart will be freed, and it will be reborn. When you return there, you will be able to find and seal the world's keyhole, which will prevent them from destroying it again."

"How do I do that?"

"You've already done it once. Remember what happened on Raliaum's world?"

"The keyhole in the field, the light from the keyblade. I did seal it, didn't I?"

Xehanort gave him a small smile and nodded. "When Haven's Bridge is restored, you need only do the same there. The keyblade will show you the way."

Xehanort stood and pulled Xavier to his feet with him. "Naminé is going to take you deeper into our memories now. " The scientist hesitated. "Xavier... there will always be those that hate you. They will not care that you were not in control of yourself; they will only care that you are responsible for whatever misfortune fell upon them. We may never find forgiveness, especially from Master Ansem," Xehanort trailed off, and Xavier felt a stab of pain in his chest at Ansem's name "but hopefully through your actions we can find redemption." Xehanort smiled and engulfed Xavier in a warm hug. Xavier was surprised, but he returned the embrace, and when Xehanort stepped back, Xavier could see the wall behind him.

"You're fading!"

Xehanort smiled again, although this time his smile was sad. "I know. I am only an echo, Xavier, not a complete person. I can't last forever."

"But what will happen to you!"

"I will remain, as part of you. The two of us are the same personality, given life upon the sealing of Terra and Master Xehanort's hearts." Xehanort stepped further back, barely visible now. "Redeem us both, Xavier." Then he just dissipated, like light smoke on a wind.

Xavier stared at the spot where Xehanort had been just a second before and wiped his damp eyes. "I will, Xehanort. I promise." He sighed and looked around the silent room. "I'm ready, Naminé." No sooner had he spoken, than the room around him began to fade into blackness, and he was falling, falling, falling...

**OOOOOO**

Fourteen year old Xehanort looked out over the water at the setting sun as the salty breeze ruffled his long white hair. A desperate longing filled his heart, a desire to escape, to see and do more than work in his father's store, get married, and raise a family as was expected of him. He felt like a caged animal, and his restless heart just wanted out somehow.

'"This world is too small." he said quietly to himself.

It was the sound of feet walking across the wet sand that made him break from his thoughts and turn around. Behind him, looking around with large, teary eyes, was a small boy, perhaps no older than six or so. The boy's long black hair was tied up in a loose knot, his clothes were dirty, and he was missing a sandal.

"Are you alright?" Xehanort called out to him "Where are your parents?"

The boy sniffled, "I can't find Master Limahl." and then burst into tears. Xehanort was taken aback – he would be the first to admit that he had no experience with children – but he walked up to the crying child and knelt down in the sand in front of him.

"Hey, don't cry. I'll help you find him, okay?" The boy threw himself at him and wailed into his shoulder, and Xehanort awkwardly hugged the kid back. The boy's cries quieted after a few minutes, and Xehanort stood up and took his hand. "Let's go find him. What's your name?"

The child gave him a watery smile. "Eraqus. What's yours?"

"Xehanort. Now, shall we go find this Master Limahl?" Eraqus nodded eagerly, and Xehanort led him over to the dock, helped him climb into the row boat, and then easily rowed the two of them to the main island. If Eraqus' master was on the Destiny Islands somewhere, it stood to reason that sooner or later, he would end up at the mayor's house, looking for his missing charge. He might already be there, so it was going to be the first place they went upon reaching the main island. If he wasn't there, well, they would cross that bridge when they came to it.

It was full dark by the time they reached the main island, and Eraqus' head was bobbing up and down as Xehanort tied the boat up. He then picked up the sleepy child and carried him through the darkened streets to the mayor's house. Eraqus was sound asleep with his head resting on Xehanort's shoulder by the time they reached their destination. Xehanort's knock resulted in the door being opened immediately, and he carried the sleeping child inside.

"Eraqus!" A tall, wiry man, with blue eyes and long auburn hair that was streaked with gray and combed back neatly into a tail ran up to him and took Eraqus into his arms.

"Master Limahl?" Eraqus mumbled sleepily as he nestled close and went back to sleep. "M'sorry. Didn't mean to get lost."

"It is alright, little one. I'm just relieved to see you safe." Limahl looked past Eraqus' dark haired head to land his gaze upon Xehanort. "Thank you, young man, for finding my apprentice."

Xehanort nodded. "You are welcome. I really should be heading home now though." Limahl nodded in understanding with another smile, and Xehanort spared a glance at Eraqus' sleeping quietly in his master's arms before he left the mayor's house to return home.

The following afternoon, after finishing his work for the day in the store, Xehanort once again found himself staring out over the water at the sun on the island that the children used as a playground. He wanted so desperately to leave, it was almost painful.

"You have potential." said a voice behind him, and Xehanort spun around to see Limahl standing there, with Eraqus holding onto his hand.

"Potential?" Xehanort asked "Potential to do what?"

"This." Limahl said simply, and he held his hand out. In a flash of light, the strangest weapon that Xehanort had ever seen appeared in his hand. It looked like a giant key, and he felt something tugging at his heart as he looked at it. Without realizing that he was moving, he stepped closer to look at it.

"What is it?"

"A keyblade, young Xehanort. It is a very powerful weapon, and can be used for good or ill, light or dark. Wielding it carries great responsibility, but once you have one, no barrier or wall can stop you. The universe will be yours to explore freely."

"I could leave here?"

"Yes. If you were to accept what I'm about to offer, you would leave this world behind and come to live with Eraqus and myself."

"What are you offering then?"

"To be my apprentice and learn from me."

"How would I do that?"

Limahl spun the keyblade in his hand and held it out handle first to Xehanort. "In your hand, take this Key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend—no ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love."

Limahl fell silent, waiting for Xehanort to respond. Xehanort looked back in the direction of the main island, where his parents were, where his home was, and then looked back at Limahl. He then reached out and took the key in his hand.

**OOOOOO**

Limahl had gone offworld to speak with Yen Sid, leaving Xehanort in charge of Eraqus and the castle. Xehanort stood in the bright sunshine, practicing his katas while Eraqus did the same nearby.

"I'm thirsty, Xehanort." Eraqus said "I'm gonna get something to drink."

"Go ahead then, but make sure that you come right back. Master Limahl won't be happy if he hears that you slacked off, or that I let you."

"I will." The small boy skipped off in the direction of the castle, and Xehanort watched him go out of the corner of his eye. Master Limahl had warned them that the Heartless could appear out of nowhere but Xehanort knew that once inside the castle, inside the protective cocoon of its wards, Eraqus would be safe. The wards around the castle were formidable, and they were added to by each Keyblade Master that resided there. He saw Eraqus jog up the steps and vanish through the front doors, so he turned his attention back to his katas.

A few minutes later, he stopped his practice keyblade in mid swing as a sudden feeling of uneasiness stole over him. Something felt wrong, just _wrong_, and he didn't like it at all.

And then he heard the scream. Immediately, he dropped the practice keyblade and ran towards the source of the scream, towards the castle.

"Xehanort!"

Dear lord, it was Eraqus. Xehanort increased his speed as he saw the child standing in front of the castle, surrounded by a squirming mass of Shadow Heartless. He knew that he would not reach Eraqus in time. As one, the Shadows leaped, and Eraqus vanished under a writhing mass of darkness.

"No!" Xehanort barely recognized the voice as his own, and a fierce desire to protect Eraqus, to get the Heartless away from him, boiled up from somewhere within. With a flash, cool, smooth metal appeared in his hands, and part of him realized that he had just summoned his keyblade for the first time as he swung at the Heartless that were piled on top of his little brother.

As one, the Shadows turned to him, leaving Eraqus scratched and bleeding on the stones of the courtyard, but alive and crying, which meant they hadn't torn out his heart.

"Run Eraqus!" he shouted as he swung the keyblade to keep the Shadows at bay "Get inside!" The boy stumbled to his feet, but he didn't not run. Instead he only stared at the Heartless in wide eyed horror, and Xehanort realized that he could not hope to run himself as long as Eraqus was outside with him. If he fled, the Heartless would turn their attention back to Eraqus, and the smaller boy would stand no chance against them. Hell, Xehanort knew that he was seriously outclassed as one of them managed to rake its claws down his leg. He had been living with Master Limahl for only a few months and hadn't learned much yet.

"Eraqus! Get inside!"

"Fire!" From behind Xehanort came a large fireball, and it exploded in the midst of the Heartless, killing a few of them and scattering the rest. He then felt the comforting weight of Master Limahl's hand on his shoulder. "Xehanort, take Eraqus and get inside the castle. Now." Xehanort nodded and used his keyblade to bat away a few of the dazed Heartless to create a path across the courtyard to Eraqus. He snatched the boy up and ran up the steps to the front door, with Eraqus clinging to him in white knuckled terror. Once safely inside the front doors, he turned back to see Master Limahl easily destroying the remaining Heartless. The older man then ran up the steps and joined them inside.

"Are you hurt, Xehanort?" Xehanort shook his head in the negative, and Master Limahl turned his attention to Eraqus. "Eraqus?" The boy, shaking like a sapling during a thunderstorm, raised his eyes to meet their master's, and then he burst into tears. Master Limahl gently took the sobbing child into his arms and carried him off to get him cleaned up, but before he disappeared into a hallway that led to the closest bathroom, he turned back to Xehanort. "I noticed that you summoned your keyblade, Xehanort." he said, nodding to the weapon that Xehanort was still hanging tightly onto. "Good work." He then carried Eraqus out of the room, and Xehanort shifted his attention to the strange, blue-gray keyblade in his hand. He studied it closely for the next hour, until he was summoned for dinner and then sent to bed. He finally had his keyblade! If only it hadn't appeared in the midst of the most frightening experience of his life...

Xehanort wasn't the least bit surprised when Eraqus climbed into bed with him in the middle of the night. After the events of the day, they both needed the comfort of the other's presence.

**OOOOOO**

"You both performed admirably." Master Limahl said as Xehanort and Eraqus stood at attention in front of him "You both have passed your Mark of Mastery exam, and I cannot express how proud I am of both of you." Xehanort and Eraqus, now sixteen and twenty-four respectively, shared a quick grin before their master's words made them focus their attention back on him. "However, I can only choose one of you to be my heir and successor, and for that I chose Eraqus. Xehanort, you have been a wonderful student, and it was a joy to teach you, but you lean too close to the darkness. That said, you may stay here if you wish, or you may explore the worlds at your leisure. Just remember, you are a Keyblade Master, and the title carries great responsibility. You both are dismissed, though Eraqus, I will speak to you later. There are things that we need to discuss."

"I'm sorry, Xehanort." Eraqus said quietly after the elderly Keyblade Master had left the training hall.

Xehanort waved that away. "I have suspected that he would choose you, Eraqus, for quite some time. You and I know, I never quite understood his absolute opposition to the darkness. It must be in balance with light, so why destroy it and damage the balance between the two?"

Eraqus shrugged absently, though Xehanort knew his lack of answer was because he agreed with their master but was simply to polite to voice it. "You know that you will always have a home here." he said instead.

Xehanort smiled. "I know, and thank you for saying that. The Land of Departure has been my home for so long..."

"Have you given though to returning to the Destiny Islands and seeing your family?"

"No, I doubt I'll ever return there. What of you?"

Eraqus shook his head. "No, you and Master Limahl are the only family that I can remember anyway."

"Well then, enough of the serious talk. Interested in going out to Twilight Town and celebrating?"

Eraqus grinned. "Lead on. Race you there?"

"You're on."

**OOOOOO**

Xehanort stared out the window of his comfortable room at the world below. Night slowly crept in as darkness overtook the light of day. The deepening gloom outside allowed his reflection in the window glass to become clearer, until his face, marked with age and time, was plainly visible. With one hand, he reached out and touched the reflection, met its fingertips with his own. How long had it been since he had cast away his boyhood home, forsaking the family of blood for another that was bound together by the power of the keyblades?

Turning away from the window, he returned to the small desk that he had been diligently writing at earlier and read over what he had written.

_Was my time drawing to an end, then, after all I had accomplished since casting away the place of my birth? Surely waiting for a quiet death would not do, not when there was still so much I needed to see for myself. Powers help me, I thought, my body is so old... _

Yes, he was an old man, his life was nearly at its end. He laughed suddenly, wishing that Master Limahl were still alive so he could show him. Show him that he had been wrong. The old master had said that darkness had been dangerous and would consume them at the first opportunity, yet Xehanort had escaped its grasp and now controlled it instead. The old man would probably be horrified!

Xehanort laughed again as he rose from the desk and went to the bed, dousing the lights as he went. As he dropped off to sleep, he thought that maybe it was time to finally find an apprentice of his own, to pass his knowledge and skills onto.

**OOOOOO**

Xehanort dropped to the ground, leaning heavily on his keyblade for support, chest heaving, as Terra approached him. The boy thought that he had bested him, but he did not know that Xehanort had simply gone easy on him, not wanting to damage his vessel.

Beneath their feet, the ground shook, and a column of light rocketed into the sky.

"Oh," Xehanort looked up and pointed "There, you see! The X-blade has been forged!" He regained his feet as Terra stared in horror.

"Ven!"

"And now Terra," Xehanort said as he raised his keyblade to his own chest. "It is time for the final union!" With that he rammed the blade into his own chest, and a bright light began to shine.

Terra spun around to face him. "What?"

Xehanort let go of the keyblade, and it vanished as his heart floated free of his body. "At last our moment is here. Out with the old and brittle vessel, and in with the younger, stronger new one." His heart floated free above him, as white light began to shine around his body. Through it all, Terra stared at it, too shocked and horrified as he realized what was going to happen to him. "I swore I would survive, and be there to see what awaited beyond the Keyblade War." Xehanort looked down from his free floating heart, to Terra. "And now it is your Darkness that shall be the ark that sustains me!" With that he pointed at Terra, and his heart dropped down and raced over to the boy. Terra activated his keyblade armor, but it was no protection. For a moment, he stood there, choking, shaking, surrounded by a dark aura, as Xehanort's body dissolved and vanished into light.

The keyblade armor fell away, and Terra's keyblade fell from his hand. In his new body, Xehanort smiled. "This heart belongs again to Darkness."

**OOOOOO**

He blinked his eyes open and saw only blurs of color and light. Where was he? Why was he in so much pain?

"I see that you are awake now, Xehanort."

He tried to turn his head towards the voice, but his neck was stiff and sore and wouldn't move at all, no matter how much he tried to make it. He groaned quietly in pain as agony shot up his spine and radiated down his arms and up through his neck.

A hand came down gently on his forehead, and Xehanort – Was that his name? - shivered at how cold it felt. Did he have a fever? "Don't try to move; you'll only hurt yourself more. Just relax."

"Where... am I?" he rasped weakly.

"You're in the castle infirmary on Radiant Garden. Do you know what happened to you?"

Xehanort tried to think, tried to remember what he had been doing, but his mind came up blank. "I... I don't know." He could vaguely remember someone holding him and asking his name, but that was all. Why couldn't he remember anything else? What was wrong with him? He struggled to come up with something, _anything_, but his mind stubbornly refused to cooperate. A frustrated cry escaped his lips, and the hand began to stroke his hair soothingly.

"It will be alright, Xehanort. I'm sure that once you have healed, your memory will return. Rest now. Things will be better in the morning."

"Who are you?"

"You may call me Ansem."

**OOOOOO**

_Stop! _Xehanort tried to scream as the crying child was thrown into the room full of Heartless. _What are you doing! _

It was useless; his body was no longer his to control. The door was closed, but not even the heavy steel could block out the sounds of the screams emanating from within. The body walked away from the door, and up a flight of steps to an observation deck. For a brief moment, the glass allowed Xehanort to see what had become of him, how his brown eyes and turned from brown to a bright yellow-gold, and how the very look of evil seemed to be etched into his features. Then the lights in the observation deck were dimmed, which allowed him to see the child being consumed by the Heartless below. The boy lasted longer than most, but all too soon, his heart was torn free, and his small body faded away into the darkness.

"Four minutes, Xehanort." came Braig's voice from the left, and Xehanort's head turned to face him.

_Why Braig?_ he tried to wail. _Why did you want this to happen to me?_

Instead, the old man answered. "Still not long enough. Let's try a younger subject next time."

Braig grinned. "I'll get Dilan and Aeleus on it."

Trapped in his own body, with no hope of rescue or escape, Xehanort silently sobbed out his horror and grief.

**OOOOOO**

Xehanort stood, keyblade in hand, in the town center in Radiant Garden, watching with a satisfied smile as the world came apart around him. Heartless swarmed over the area, attacking any that they came across. A few lucky ones managed to escape. Most, however, did not.

Trapped within, Xehanort watched, with sickening horror, the world's destruction. He watched as the old man, his original incarnation, Master Xehanort, he now knew, once again used the keyblade on himself, separating his heart from his body, only this time there was no new vessel for it to possess. He saw his heart float free and take on a human shape. A human heartless, that looked remarkably similar to his complete self stood in front of him as his body faded away.

**OOOOOO**

"It is futile." Xehanort's Heartless said as he floated in the endless void, Sora and his two friends nearby "The Keyblade alone cannot seal the door to darkness." He spun around and reached for the door in front of him. "Kingdom Hearts! Fill me with the power of darkness... Supreme darkness!"

"You're wrong." Sora said with firm conviction "I know now, without a doubt. Kingdom Hearts... is light!"

The door opened, and pure light flooded out from behind it. The Heartless was shocked, and unable to bear it. He threw his arms up to protect his face before staring in disbelief at the sight in front of him. "Light... But why?" The light consumed him, destroying the being born of darkness, and freeing the two hearts that composed his being.

**OOOOOO**

Xemnas was unable to block the blows being rained down on his by the keyblade wielder. Dual wielding his own keyblade as well as his friend's, Sora knocked Xemnas backwards into the air. The boy then landed next to his friend, and the two of them used Sora's keyblade to fire a beam of pure light directly at him, and he felt pain unlike anything he had felt before. As he floated there, stunned and in agony, the two attacked him, and his body could no longer bear it.

"Cursed... keyblade." was all he managed to say before he began to dissolve into the darkness whence he came.

**OOOOOO**

"Damn it, Xehanort." Braig cursed between huffing breaths as he carried him through the trees "Sometimes I really wonder if you're worth the damned trouble."

Xehanort only moaned in response. He was burning up with fever and too ill to use his own healing magic on himself. Whatever illness it was that had him in it's grip had struck suddenly, and he had deteriorated rapidly, which forced Braig to take them off their intended route to try and find a doctor. It had begun with a stiff neck and a pounding headache. Then he had become unable to tolerate light or sound. Braig had landed their ship – using the Corridors of Darkness could allow others to find them – but he had missed the town by quite a distance, and the damned engines refused to start back up, which forced him to carry Xehanort the rest of the way.

A groan was the only warning the former Freeshooter got before Xehanort suddenly sicked up the small amounts of water and food that he had ingested since falling ill all over him.

"God _damn it_, Xehanort!" Braig snarled "You know what? To hell with this! I didn't sign up to play nursemaid to you, and I'll be damned if I'm going to take care of your sickly ass while you puke on me!" He dropped Xehanort none too gently to the ground under a tree. "If you're lucky, maybe someone'll find you before you kick it. Now I'm getting' the hell out of here."

"Braig..." Xehanort moaned "Don't go. Don't leave me here... We had an agreement."

"Nowhere in that agreement did it say anything about carrying you around and cleaning up your puke! So goodbye and good luck!" And with that, the Freeshooter walked off, back towards the gummi ship.

"Braig." Xehanort called out weakly "Braig, damn it, come back." The marksman ignored him and kept walking, and soon he vanished into the gloom of the night. "Braig..." The one eyed man didn't answer return, and after a few minutes, Xehanort heard the sound of the gummi ship's engines starting up and saw him rocket across the sky, leaving him, sick and alone, under the tree.

Realizing that it was up to himself to get the help he needed, Xehanort managed to roll over onto his hands and knees, and his arms and legs shook hard as he struggled to stand. Weakly grasping onto knots and knobs sticking out of the tree, he pulled himself to his feet, but as soon as he let go of it to take a step in the direction of the lights that he could see across the field, his legs buckled, and he collapsed back to the dry grass.

Damn, he couldn't die now! Everything had been going perfectly to plan, but then this thrice cursed illness had set in, and now Braig had abandoned him, and...

Xehanort moaned in pain as his fall made his head throb more fiercely than before. He needed to get help, but he was so tired. Maybe he would just lie here and rest a bit... Then he could find someway to drag himself to safety... He closed his eyes. Just for a little while...

**OOOOOO**

Arms around him, holding him close. "Open your eyes, little one." Elissa's voice...

_Open your eyes..._

_Open your eyes..._

_Wake up..._

_Time to wake up..._

"Wake up!" an angry voiced demanded.

Xavier's eyes flew open, and he sat up in the bed to see a furious blue haired woman standing at the foot, keyblade out and pointed threateningly at him. He stared at her in surprise for a moment; he knew her, but when he opened his mouth to speak, it was not his voice that came out.

"Aqua?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer; Disney and Square own it all; I only wish I did. Why in the hell cant I come up with these wickedly cool characters and twisted plots? Why?**

**11.**

The blue haired keyblade master stared at Xavier in shocked silence, while Xavier's eyes widened in surprise. That hadn't been his voice; it had been...

"Terra?" Aqua said questioningly, though she didn't lower her keyblade.

Xavier scratched his head sheepishly, though it hadn't been him that told the arm to move. "Yeah, it's me." said Terra's voice out of his – Terra's – _damn it!_ - mouth.

Aqua lowered her keyblade just a fraction. "You've regained control from Xehanort?"

"Yes and no. I've temporarily taken control to stop you from attacking Xavier, but no, Master Xehanort is not in control."

Xavier could see the question mark in Aqua's eyes. Terra evidently could as well, since he hastened to explain. "Remember when Master Xehanort locked our hearts away?" Aqua nodded faintly, still looking as though she couldn't believe what she was seeing. "When he did that, it allowed a third personality to emerge. It is that third personality, Xavier, that is in control now. Master Xehanort took over him once before, so he came here to regain his memories and learn how to split the two of them apart."

"How do I know that it's really you speaking, Terra, and not just Xehanort using your voice?"

"Remember when you were ten, and I dared you to sneak into Master Eraqus' room, and you -"

"I believe you!" Aqua said hastily as her face turned red and she dropped her keyblade to point at the floor "You don't need to say anymore."

Terra grinned. "Are you sure? Because I'm sure that Xavier and Naminé would love to hear how you walked in on him when he was -"

"Terra!"

"Alright fine." He sighed. "Aqua, I need to cede control back to Xavier now, but I'm still here, and I can hear you. He needs your help, Aqua, not your hatred." Aqua frowned, though she still nodded as Xavier felt Terra relinquish control and retreat to the back of his mind.

_He was naked._ Terra whispered, and Xavier choked back a laugh as Aqua glared at him.

"Don't you tell him, Terra!" she growled, and Xavier could hear Terra snickering as the latter's mind quieted and settled.

"Thanks, Terra." Xavier grumbled "Leaving me alone in a room with a pissed off Keyblade Master..."

_You're welcome. _

"Jerk..."

"Now," Aqua said evenly and Xavier looked up at her to see her keyblade pointed at him again "What do I do with you?"

"Ummm," Xavier said meekly "Help me, like Terra asked?"

"And how would I help you?"

Xavier fell silent for a second, and then he looked her straight in the eye. "Tell me – does the Keyblade Graveyard still exist?"

"It does. Why?"

"Because that is where I'm going to end this. That was where Master Xehanort took Terra over, and it is where I will force him out."

"You're talking about splitting your heart. You know that doing so may create the Unversed again."

"I know, and I'll deal with that problem when it arises."

"And what about you?"

"What about me?" He looked at her again as he got up from the bed and straightened his clothing, and he couldn't help but notice that she almost looked... concerned? Concerned for him or for Terra, he didn't know.

"Xavier, when Master Xehanort split Ven's heart, Ven nearly died. If you collapse, Master Xehanort will simply take over again."

"I'll figure out something. I have to do this, Aqua, I can't let him win." He turned away from her to look at Naminé, who was still seated at the desk, pencils and paper in hand. "Thank you, Naminé."

She smiled at him. "You're welcome, Xavier, and good luck."

One handy thing about getting his memories back, he thought idly as he stepped back into a portal that he had just opened, was that it made getting to other worlds much quicker and easier. Before the portal closed, he saw Naminé and Aqua looking at him, and he thought he saw a tear trickling down Aqua's face before he stepped out of the portal on the other side.

He stepped into a barren, rocky wasteland. He was in a small valley between tall rocky cliffs, and the hot wind howled around him, carrying dust and dirt. This was where Master Xehanort had torn Ventus' heart in two, creating Vanitas, and, inadvertently, the Unversed. It was also where he had taken over Terra's body and life.

Xavier's eyes narrowed with sudden anger. Well, today was the day that he was going to put it to rights. Even if he had to destroy his own heart to do it.

He walked out of the small valley, through a narrow tunnel formed by cliffs that leaned inward towards each other, and out into the Seat of War. He was greeted by thousands upon thousands of dead keyblades, masterless, forlorn, abandoned and disintegrating in the harsh environment. He remembered Master Limahl's tales of the Keyblade War, and, contrary to what Ienzo had said, the universe had nearly been destroyed, only to be saved by the light in the hearts of children. No matter what had happened, it could not be allowed to happen again.

He walked down to the crossroads, where he stopped, and summoned Terra's keyblade. The weapon appeared in his hand, and he closed his eyes and allowed himself a moment. His family's faces flashed through his mind, and he thought of them, of Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, of Eraqus, of Lea, Isa, Even, Aeleus, Dilan, and Ienzo. This was for them.

Keeping his eyes closed, Xavier raised the keyblade above him and willed it to do what needed to be done. There was a strange sound, and then his body filled with the most excruciating agony he had ever felt. No words could describe it as he felt his very being being sheared in two. He howled in pain as he dropped the keyblade, which clattered to the ground and vanished, and staggered backwards a few steps. Oh gods, what had he just done?

"Finally!" said an aged voice in front of him "Free at last!"

"No," Xavier groaned, and he felt a gloved hand push against his chest, shoving him to the ground. He landed hard on his back, and he opened his eyes to see Master Xehanort looking down at him. Behind the elderly keyblade master were several small dark forms, darting around quickly.

"The Unversed," he groaned as he struggled to stand, to which Master Xehanort only laughed and shoved him back down. Privately, Xavier was amazed that he hadn't fallen into a coma yet due to the damage to his heart.

"Did you believe that merely splitting our heart in two would be enough to be rid of me?" the old man asked mockingly "Were you intending to defeat me? You foolish boy, you can barely stand, yet here I am, and," He summoned his keyblade and pressed the end of it against Xavier's chin, which forced him to look up and meet his darker half's eyes. "you have given me the heard of light and the heart of darkness needed to try the X-blade a second time. Of course, I will have to find a new vessel, but there are a few candidate already from those that I saw around you." Master Xehanort's yellow eyes seemed to glow with eager malice. "One is young, but I would then be hidden, protected, and cared for while the Keyblade War wages on, all the while growing stronger and furthering my plans. After all, no one would suspect little Alexander, would they?"

"NO!"

Two voices, Xavier's as well as Terra's, howled in unison, and a surge of pure rage allowed Xavier to leap to his feet. His left hand shot forward, and ball of pure darkness flew from his fingers and slammed into Master Xehanort, knocking his down. As the elderly keyblade master regained his feet, Xavier strode up to him as Terra's keyblade reappeared in his hand. A dark aura flared and snapped around him, and he could plainly see the calculating look in Master Xehanort's yellow eyes.

"You will stay away from Alexander." Xavier said "And as you can see, my half of the heart is not purely light, which derails your plans for the X-blade." He smirked. "Now, let's end this, shall we?"

Master Xehanort returned the smirk. "Let's."

Xavier attacked first. He streaked across the rocky ground towards Master Xehanort and leapt into the air and brought the keyblade slamming to the ground at the old man's feet. Jagged boulders erupted from the impact site, knocking Master Xehanort into the air, and he followed with an upward swing of the keyblade. The keyblade master recovered in mid air, and which forced Xavier to dodge out of the way. He didn't move far enough though, as Master Xehanort slammed his keyblade into the ground, and a shockwave of darkness erupted from it, throwing Xavier off of his feet. Xavier rolled with the impact and came back standing, and he dashed towards his darker half, surrounded by whirling flames. The keyblade master staggered under the assault, and Xavier immediately followed it up with a Thundaga spell, which knocked the old man down. Before he could regain his feet, Xavier cloaked himself in darkness and dashed towards him, holding Terra's keyblade like a spear. Master Xehanort stumbled, blinded, holding his face in his hands as small puff of darkness wafted up from him. Taking advantage of the opening, Xavier launched himself into a flurry of slashes with the keyblade, knocking Master Xehanort away, though the old man somehow managed to keep his feet. The attack ended with a slam to the ground which caused a small shockwave of light to erupt, which finally knocked the keyblade master down. Leaping back several feet, he leaned over and focused hard on the inert form on the ground, holding Terra's keyblade out behind him. He could feel the power building within him, and when it was ready, he hopped up into the air as the keyblade transformed into a large cannon, which he held easily on his shoulder despite its size. A large molten orb fired from the cannon's mouth and rocketed over to where Master Xehanort was lying unmoving on the ground. There was an explosion which shook the very ground that Xavier was standing on, and when it cleared, there was no sign of Master Xehanort. The Unversed too were gone.

Xavier slumped to the ground, using the keyblade for support. Had he done it? Was it over? Had he really just destroyed part of his own heart? Why was he still conscious then and not in a coma from the damage?

His chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. It was true that working on a farm built muscle, but tending animals and crops were nothing compared to combat, even if it had been most decidedly one sided. He raked his sweat soaked hair back from his face and shakily stood up before taking a look around. He was alone in the crossroads, though it was much bigger than it had been before. His attacks had blown away several of the old keyblades that had been nearby. Save for the mournful howl of the wind, the area was silent and still.

"Is it done?" he asked no one in particular.

_No_, came Terra's voice _It isn't._

A slow clapping came from behind him, and Xavier spun around to see Master Xehanort slowly walking towards him.

"Masterfully done, my boy!" the old man said, and Xavier's jaw fell open.

"Wh.. what? How?" he stuttered as he looked back and forth from where the old man had been lying to where he was currently standing, without so much as a scratch on him.

"I am a disembodied heart, boy, I only take damage if I allow myself to. Fooling you into thinking that you had me down so you would exhaust yourself was simple."

The Unversed sprang up then out of the ground, and Xavier realized with despair that he was surrounded by hundreds, possibly thousands of them, and they were slowly closing in on them. He wouldn't be able to fight them all.

"And now," Master Xehanort continued as he walked steadily up to where Xavier stood "It is time for the two of us to become one again, and I will make sure that I consume you this time, to prevent such rebellions from happening in the future."

With a single gesture from the keyblade master, Xavier found himself bound and restrained by several Unversed. As much as he wiggled and struggled, he couldn't get free of them as Master Xehanort walked up to him and reached out to touch his chest above his heart. He tried to back away, to prevent what he knew was going to happen, but the Unversed only tightened their hold, which forced a gasp from him as the air was crushed from his lungs.

"Do not struggle, _Xehanort._" the old man said, almost gently "By the time I am through, you will no longer exist; it will be easier if you surrender and let it happen."

"Xavier," Xavier managed to wheeze, which caused the Unversed to tighten their grip still further. Darkness crept around the edges of his vision as his body screamed for air that he could not draw. Master Xehanort simply stood and watched, obviously waiting for him to pass out.

_Oh god, oh god, oh god. I don't want this to happen! I don't want it to end this way!_

"Just relax, Xehanort. It will be over soon."

"Dance, water, dance!"

There was a wave of water, and the Unversed released him suddenly and vanished, while Xavier collapsed to the ground, greedily gulping the hot, dry air into his lungs. His vision cleared, and he was treated to a brief glimpse of complete surprise on Master Xehanort's face before the surprise twisted into an enraged snarl.

"I will have you back!" he snarled and he reached for Xavier anyway, but a whirling fire wheel came from behind Xavier and knocked him back. Xavier managed to regain his feet then, and it was then that he noticed he was dripping wet.

"Are you okay, Xavier?" Emyd asked as he walked up and helped Xavier steady himself "Sorry about the water; it was the only way I could get them off of you."

Xavier managed a hysterical titter than ended in a raspy cough. "I don't mind. Thanks."

"You're welcome," Lea said as he sent his other chakram spinning towards Master Xehanort "Taylor thinks that Isa's going to make it, so getting that lunatic over there away from you was the least I could do."

"Just admit it, Lea." Roxas added as he used his own keyblade to fire off a ball of pure light at Master Xehanort, who had to scramble to dodge it "You were worried about him."

"If you four are quite through wasting time," Even said as he walked up, Frozen Pride in hand, followed by Dilan, Aeleus, and Ienzo "I would like to get the battle over with quickly. I have some experiments at home that can't be left for too long." The blond looked over at Master Xehanort, who was eying the large group warily, and then turned to Xavier. "It seems as though you were telling the truth. I misjudged you, and for that, I apologize."

Xavier smiled weakly at the scientist, and then his gaze hardened as he turned to look at Master Xehanort. "Keep the Unversed off of me." he said firmly "I will deal with him."

"Yes, Superior." Emyd said cheekily, which drew chuckles from everyone but Even, who simply rolled his eyes. The former members of Organization XIII turned to take care of the Unversed, while Xavier calmly began to walk up to Master Xehanort.

"You killed Eraqus," he said quietly, dangerously "You destroyed the Land of Departure, you possessed Terra and stole his life, you destroyed my life, you loosed the Heartless on the universe, you destroyed Radiant Garden, all so you could indulge in your sick curiosity to see what would happen after a Keyblade War."

Master Xehanort smirked. "And, once I have reabsorbed you and consumed you, I will continue right where I left off."

Xavier came to a stop only a few feet away from his darker half, Terra's keyblade in his hand. "Not if I can help it. I will stop you, even if I have to destroy us both to do it."

The old man grinned. "Then so be it." He took a step back. "Braig."

Beside the keyblade master a dark portal formed, and the one eyed marksman stepped out, and the portal closed.

"Well hey there, little dude!" Braig exclaimed cheerfully "What's up?"

"Braig!" Xavier snarled "You! You're the one that let Xehanort be taken over! What the hell is wrong with you! He trusted you, and you betrayed him!"

"Whoa, easy there, little dude. Nothing is wrong with me; I just knew what side I was one, and it sure as hell wasn't that little snot nosed brat's! 'Oh, I've lost my memory! I don't know who I am! Waa, waa, waa!'" Braig grinned, and Xavier gritted his teeth. He remembered well the anguish of being so lost and confused, cut adrift with no sense of identity. He also remembered the love, care, and concern of the people that had taken him in, but he had lost them, twice, due to the actions of the two in front of him.

"Braig," Master Xehanort said quietly "There is one other matter to be attended to."

Braig turned to face him. "Huh?"

"There is still the issue of your abandonment of me that needs to be dealt with."

"Oh c'mon, Mr. Master. You know I wasn't -" Braig's words gurgled to a stop, and the marksman looked down to see Master Xehanort's keyblade implanted in his chest.

"Not... again..." he groaned as the keyblade was pulled out, though his heart did not fly free like it had before. His body began to collapse, and Master Xehanort shrank, and took the form of a partial heart before he flew straight into Braig's body, now lying still on the ground. There were a few seconds where nothing happened, but Xavier didn't dare approach, not sure if the lack of motion was a ruse or not.

Then the body began to move, and Braig slowly regained his feet, but when his eyes met Xavier's, Xavier knew that it was not Braig that he was seeing anymore. Master Xehanort was in control.

Xavier looked at him warily. "Did you leave anything of him?" he asked.

Braig, or rather Master Xehanort, grinned. "No, Braig is gone, consumed. I don't want anymore rebellions after all. Now, I believe that you and I have some unfinished business to take care of." The dark keyblade appeared in Master Xehanort's hand, and with a sickening grin, the keyblade master charged.

Xavier dodged the first swing, which prompted Master Xehanort to dash away and fire a volley of dark orbs. Xavier held the keyblade in front of him, and they were all deflected, with some striking Master Xehanort, who recoiled under the assault. Xavier rushed into striking range and reused one of his attacks from earlier, launching into a furious set of swings and slashes, but he was barely halfway through the combo before Master Xehanort blocked and countered, forcing Xavier to dodge out of the way. The keyblade master followed up with a combo of his own, and Xavier was grateful that it was nearly impossible to destroy a keyblade as he strained to guard against the blows that rained down on him. He was also grateful that one could not be harmed by one's own magic as he cast one of his favorites, which he had learned long ago under Master Limahl, and which Terra had also learned under Master Eraqus.

"Fire!"

He was rewarded with a look of horror upon Master Xehanort's face as the small flame exploded into a massive fireball. Xavier wasn't hurt by it, but it still knocked him back several feet. Master Xehanort was blown away, and Xavier charged him to take advantage of the opening that he had created. Once he was close enough, he flung the keyblade, and the spinning weapon stuck the possessed marksman and coated him in a solid sheet of ice. Even as this was happening, Xavier didn't slow his stride, and he easily caught the keyblade on its return, whereupon he leapt into the air and brought the keyblade slamming to the ground at Master Xehanort's feet, as a hail of small meteors rained down. Master Xehanort somehow managed to dodge them all and countered with an eruption of rock from the ground that dwarfed the one Xavier used earlier. Xavier was flung into the air, and the keyblade master launched into a furious attack while Xavier was unable to block or dodge.

Xavier cried out in pain as the blows rained down, tearing his clothing and opening large gashes in his skin. After several strikes, gravity asserted its pull on him, and he crashed to the ground, and he was just barely able to muster up the strength to send his own volley of dark orbs to keep the keyblade master busy while he regained his feet.

"Heal," he gasped as he pointed Terra's keyblade skyward, and he sighed as his wounds closed and the pain melted away. Master Xehanort charged him again, and he dashed away, dodging a second earth based attack as he went. He dashed as far away as he could get to give himself some breathing room, and then focused on his target again, this time powering up the dark attack he had just used. This time though, he wasn't wounded and in pain, and he was able to use it at full power. When it was ready, he leapt into the air and fired dozens of the dark orbs from the keyblade. They were larger than they had been before, and Master Xehanort was unable to dodge them in time. They slammed into his new body hard, and Xavier could hear his pained grunts as he dropped to the ground and used the distraction to ready his next attack. He gathered his power and began to glow with light as he raised the keyblade up and streaked forward too fast to be seen, swinging the keyblade as he went. When it ended, he was standing several feet opposite of where he had been, and Master Xehanort, in Braig's body, was gasping, and in agony from a large gaping wound that had opened up from chest to groin.

"Heal," he just managed to gurgle, and the green light of the spell flowed over him, but it was not enough to close the wound. Xavier strode towards him, intent on finishing the job, and the keyblade master looked up at him and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"This body is not as good as that one is." he wheezed as his chest heaved, exposing the bone and muscle underneath. Xavier said nothing; he just kept walking, and Master Xehanort raised one of his hands. Darkness gathered and swirled, and Xavier paused, unsure about what the old man was doing. When the darkness cleared, there was a child standing in front of Master Xehanort, with one of the keyblade master's hands resting on the boy's blond haired head.

"Alexander!" Xavier cried.

Alexander looked around, his eyes large and filled with tears. "Xav'er?" he said shakily.

"How cute." Master Xehanort managed to sneer despite his wheezing and gasping, and he raised his keyblade, intending to release his heart.

"Don't do this!" Xavier pleaded.

"I will. Any attempt to remove me just might damage Alexander's heart as well. Will you let him live, full in the knowledge that it will be my heart taking control? Or will you destroy him and face the rage of your family?" Master Xehanort smiled, and the sight of it set a chill in Xavier's heart.

From somewhere off to the left came the sound of a blade slicing through air, and a blast of red energy surrounded by cherry petals slammed into the keyblade master, knocking him off of his feet and away from Alexander. A pink haired figure, dressed in an Organization coat and carrying a massive scythe appeared, scooped the crying child up in one arm and ran towards where the others were still dealing with the Unversed.

"A life for a life." Raliaum said icily as he ran past, and Xavier watched him hand Alexander to Even, who held the boy in one arm and used Frozen Pride to hide him, while the others gathered in a circle around them to keep the Unversed away.

"Thank you, Marluxia." Xavier said quietly before a groan made him turn back and look at Master Xehanort. Raliaum's attack had undone the healing spell, and Master Xehanort was lying still on the ground, bleeding heavily from the massive injury and struggling to breathe.

"No," he gasped as Xavier began to walk up to him again "I won't let it... end this way. I will have you back, and I will take over that child's body." Summoning the last strength left in Braig's dying body, he raised his keyblade and, before Xavier could stop him, he tore his heart free as the body gave one last gasp and died.

The fractured heart rose into the air, and it floated freely for a moment, almost as if it were looking around for something, and then it began to move towards where Alexander was still being shielded by Even.

"Oh no you don't.' Xavier growled, and he dismissed the keyblade, darted forward, and grabbed the heart in his hands.

There was a flash, and Xavier felt himself falling, similar to how he had felt when Naminé had taken him back into his memories. He was surrounded by nothingness, like he had in the dream back in the Castle That Never Was, but he soon spotted a light far below him. He saw as he came closer to it that it appeared to be a platform of some kind, circular, and having the look of stained glass. There were two figures formed in the glass, himself/Xehanort on one side, and Master Xehanort on the other. Between the two were smaller portrait like images, filled with those that he and Xehanort held dear, Elissa, Jascha, his adopted siblings, Master Ansem, Even, Ienzo, and the others.

Xavier landed lightly on his feet and across from him, he saw Master Xehanort do the same.

"So a battle of wills, is it?" the keyblade master said with an eager lift of his eyebrows.

"I suppose so." Xavier said without taking his eyes off of his darker half.

"Unfortunately for you, there are more of me than there are of you."

"What?"

Master Xehanort chuckled, and out of the darkness around them, two figures emerged. One was dressed very similarly to how Master Xehanort himself once dressed, though his skin was much darker than either Master Xehanort or Xavier's. It was his Heartless, Ansem, Seeker of Darkness. The second had hair longer and wilder than Xavier's, orange eyes, and was wearing an Organization coat. It was his Nobody, Xemnas.

"So you see, _Xehanort_," Master Xehanort said with a dark chuckle "There are three of us, and only one of you."

"Two," came a firm voice from behind Xavier, and Terra walked up calmly to stand beside him. Xavier looked at him gratefully, and then...

"Three."

All five of those on the platform turned to look at the source of the new voice, and Xavier, as well as Terra, felt tears spring to their eyes as Master Eraqus strode up confidently to stand on Xavier's other side. "I should have ended you when I had the opportunity, Xehanort." Eraqus said evenly "Instead I gave you a chance, and this is how you repaid me."

"You were always a fool, Eraqus." Master Xehanort spat "And I took great pleasure in ending your pathetic life. It was you that kept me from absorbing Terra's heart, and even now the two of you are supporting my sadder half to keep him from falling into a coma like he should have done the instant he separated me off."

Xavier smiled; it was nice to know that they supported him in such a way, but he quickly focused on the task at hand. "Let's end this."

"Terra and I will keep the other two away from you, Xavier." Eraqus said calmly "We need you to focus only on Master Xehanort."

Xavier nodded. "I understand." He barely noticed as Eraqus went over to Ansem and Terra went over to Xemnas. His gaze was locked onto Master Xehanort as he approached the man. He didn't summon a keyblade; he readied no attack. He knew that they would not be needed. He reached his darker half and calmly reached out and placed his hands on his shoulders. Light flared out from under his hands where the two touched, while Master Xehanort simply stared at him with a smug smile. The old man obviously thought that he could win the upcoming battle of wills.

Xavier closed his eyes as the light brightened and spread to encompass the both of them, wiping out the area around them and preventing him from seeing Terra, Eraqus, Ansem, and Xemnas. He ignored it as he focused his entire being on doing what he had to do; absorbing and consuming Master Xehanort like the keyblade master had tried to do to him and Terra. Once absorbed, Xavier would retain the man's memories and skills, but his personality and self would be destroyed, leaving only Xavier's in their heart, with no chance of a future takeover.

Xavier felt Master Xehanort's will begin to push against him, trying to do the same to him first, and the sheer darkness of it made him stagger. The man's mind and heart were a vile cesspool, filled with hate, malice, and cruelty with no sign of the kind young man that he had once been. Xavier grieved for the innocent boy that had once existed, and he felt Eraqus' grief as well, which allowed him to push back a little harder. He felt Terra's heart within him, shining brightly with the love that the young man held for Eraqus, Aqua, and Ventus, and he felt his own love and affection for his family, for Jascha, Elissa, Masa, Akim, Heras, Jachin, Yuta, and Alexander, and he could feel what was left of Xehanort's feelings for Even and the others, and it was enough.

With a yell, Xavier gave one last push...

… and felt Master Xehanort simply shattered under his hands. The light vanished, and he opened his eyes to see dozens of small lights sparkling and floating around him as he floated in an endless void. The lights swirled around him before they flew towards him, and he felt his fractured heart mending itself as he floated down to land on his feet. Beneath him the darkness scattered in a brilliant display to reveal the glass platform, though instead of himself on one side and Master Xehanort on the other, he was on one side, dressed in the simpler clothing that he normally wore with a white lab coat over it. The image's eyes were closed, and in his right hand he held the keyblade that was once Master Xehanort's but now his in a loose grip. On the other side were the portraits of the others.

Xavier smiled slightly before he closed his eyes, leaned back, and faded away into light.

**OOOOOO**

**A/N : So I get to the scene where Xavier opens in eyes to see Master Xehanort staring down at him, and Hot Stepper by Ini Kamoze starts running through my head.**

**Curse youuuuuuuuuuuuu, DCWyverx and your Kingdom Hearts Stupid Files Season II, Episode 7! XDDDD**

**A/N 2: The attacks Xavier uses are: Geo Impact, Aerial Slam (interrupted by Master Xehanort's recovery and counter) Fire Dash, Thundaga, Chaos Blade, Ars Solum, and Ultima Cannon.**

**2nd round consists of: Ars Solum (interrupted), Mega Flare, Freeze Raid, Meteor Crash, (Master Xehanort follows with Quake and a combo) Dark Volley, Curaga, (Master Xehanort uses Quake again) Dark Volley a second time, and Zantetsuken**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer; Disney and Square own it all; I only wish I did. Why in the hell cant I come up with these wickedly cool characters and twisted plots? Why?**

**A/N: This is it, folks, the final chapter. Finally! *Bells and whistles* Thanks to Lita of the Dancing Flames, Opiatepie, Alleycat18, Lucifer's Remnants, and MysteryKeyblader16 for their reviews, and thanks to everyone that read and favorited! :)**

**12.**

He was surrounded by darkness again. In all directions, he could see no light, only the endless void. He looked all around, but he was alone in the darkness; there was no sign of Terra or Eraqus.

_Can anyone hear me! h_e tried to shout, but his voice was silenced, and he could make no sound. What had happened? He had fought Master Xehanort, with the assistance of Eraqus and Terra, and he had won, so why then was he trapped in the darkness again? Had he damaged his heart worse than he had thought?

Or... had they decided that it was better to allow him to fall into a coma due to his fractured heart once the battle was over?

Why? Why would they do that after what he had done? Was splitting his heart in two and doing horrendous damage to it in the process not enough to prove he wasn't the monster that had tried to destroy the universe? He drew his knees up to his chest and rested his head on them. He knew the consequences of damaging one's heart. He knew that he would remain in a deep coma until either his heart healed itself, which could take years, or his body died for whatever reason.

Pain rose to fill his heart, and he laid his forehead on his knees and began to cry, but no tears slipped down his face, and no sound escaped his lips. He just wanted to go home... Was he going to be trapped here forever?

_Open your eyes, Xavier._

He raised his head up and looked around. _Elissa? h_e tried to ask, but of course, he could make no sound.

_Xav'er. Wake up, Xav'er! _

_It's time to wake up, Xavier. We have patients to see. _

_Wake up! I need to thank you again for helping me save Isa! Got it memorized? _

He tried to call out to them, but he could make no sound no matter how hard he tried. He tried to move towards their voices, but no matter what he did, they never seemed to get any closer, and he couldn't tell which direction, if any, they were coming from.

_Someone, help me! I can hear you! h_e tried to call, but it was useless. He couldn't make himself heard.

_Look up, Xavier. c_ame a gentle voice, and he raised his head just as a light began to shine above him. He tried to reach for it, but he couldn't make himself move any closer. It was just beyond his reach.

_Help me... _he pleaded silently, and in response a hand appeared in the light, reaching out to him. He reached out and grasped it in his own and felt himself being gently pulled upward. He was pulled into the bright light, which allowed him to see the person that was helping him.

Eraqus smiled gently at him. "Your heart has healed, Xavier; it's time for you to wake up now."

Xavier returned the smile, blinking away tears. "Thank you, Eraqus."

Eraqus only smiled at him again and boosted him upward, where another hand caught his own and pulled him up even further. This time it was Terra, and Xavier engulfed him in a hug for a brief moment before Terra laughed and pushed him up, towards the light that beckoned above.

He heard the roaring in his ears that he had heard upon waking from his fever induced coma two years previous as the darkness scattered just like it had before. He then became aware of the feeling of a soft bed under him and warm blankets over him.

"Xavier?" Elissa's voice spoke from somewhere very close by, and he forced his eyes open to see her sitting in the rocker by his bed, like she had when he had been so very ill. He carefully sat up and she moved to sit on the bed beside him, and he just looked at her face for the longest moment as tears began to pool in his eyes and run down his face. It was really her; she was really there.

"Mama," he choked out, and he burst into tears and threw himself into her arms. Her warm arms came around him and held him tight as he buried his face in her hair, crying.

"Don't cry, Xavier." she said gently as he rocked him "You're home now."

"I'm home." he murmured "I'm home. I'm home. I'm _home_!"

She laughed lightly and squeezed him. "Yes, you're home."

He pulled away and sat up, and she gently wiped his tears away. "What about everyone else? What about Masa, Akim, and everyone?" His eyes widened. "What about Alexander? Is he okay?"

Elissa smiled at him, her own eyes damp. "Alexander is fine. So are Masa and Akim. All of your brothers are here, so is Taylor." Her face saddened suddenly.

"Mama?" he asked hesitantly.

She smiled tearfully at him. "There are some around town that are still missing, and..." She took a deep breath. "Your father is also missing."

Xavier lowered his head. That meant that Jascha was a... He shuddered and leaned into his mother's embrace again.

"Xav'er?"

Xavier looked up to see Alexander standing hesitantly in the doorway. Letting go of his mother, he opened his arms, and Alexander smiled happily and ran up to him, jumped onto the bed, and climbed into his arms. Xavier wrapped his arms around his little brother, closed his eyes, buried his nose in the child's soft hair, and reached out with his senses to check the condition of his heart. To his immense relief, the child's heart was pure, full of light, with no traces of darkness in sight. Grinning happily, he tickled Alexander's chin, and the boy squealed in delight. His squeal attracted others to the room, and soon Xavier was crying hard in relief and joy as he was welcomed home by his brothers. They hugged him and ruffled his hair, and Masa gave him a brotherly knuckle rub on the top of his head.

"Heard you had quite the adventure," the eldest said with a grin, and the room fell silent as Xavier stared at him in wide eyed horror.

"You mean... you know... who I used to be?"

"Yes, child." Elissa said gently as she reached out and smoothed down a few strands of his hair. "Taylor told us everything, and it changes nothing. You are still my son, and we all still love you. It took a great deal of courage to do what you did, and I am so proud of you." She embraced him and kissed him on the forehead. "Welcome home, Xavier." Xavier leaned against her again and closed his eyes and more tears seeped out from under his eyelids. He heard his brothers, still laughing, leaving the room, but a few moments later, one of them returned.

"Xavier." Akim said "Taylor wants to see you at the hospital right away. He says it's important."

Xavier reluctantly sat up, and Elissa kissed him on the forehead again. "Go wash your face, get dressed, and go see what he wants." she told him, and he nodded and wiped at his eyes and he stood up. A few minutes later, he walked down the stairs, and Heras handed him his lab coat, which had been washed and pressed, and he gave his little brother a tight squeeze before he walked out the door. He made the short walk to the hospital in silence, enjoying the cool autumn weather, and hearing the breeze rustling the changing leaves in the trees.

The hospital housed two open wards that were currently empty, a small operating room, a few storage rooms, and three private rooms, and it was in one of those private rooms that he found Taylor, tending to Isa. Isa looked much healthier. He had gained weight, his skin had much more color to it, and he was breathing much easier. Lea was seated by his bed, watching him sleep, and he smiled at Xavier when the latter walked in.

"You brought him back with you?" Xavier asked, and Taylor looked up from adjusting the IV pump.

"Yes," he replied "His disappearance was discovered, so I thought it best to bring him here so he could recover in safety."

"Do you need my help with him?"

"No, I asked you to come here because Isa has something he wants to say to you."

"What? He woke up?"

In response to the questions, Lea leaned over and lightly ghosted his fingers down Isa's cheek. "Isa," he called quietly "Isa, Xavier's here."

Isa shifted in his bed, and a small whimper escaped his lips as his green eyes fluttered open. He looked around the room for a moment, and he smiled a weak, tiny smile when his eyes landed on Lea before he looked at Xavier.

"Superior," he said in a hoarse voice, and Taylor stepped out so Xavier could sit on the bed beside him.

"Just call me Xavier, Isa." he said gently as he grasped one of the former Luna Diviner's hands in his own. To his delight it was warm, showing that the circulation to it was no longer failing. "I'm not your Superior anymore."

Isa smiled tiredly at him. "Thank you... for saving me."

Xavier returned the smile. 'You don't have to thank me. Lea was already intending to get you; I just happened to be there when he did."

"If you hadn't taken us to Taylor's house, he would have died before I could have gotten him to a doctor." Lea insisted "So without you, he wouldn't be here."

"Thank you." Isa said again, and Xavier smiled as he lightly squeezed his hand.

"You're welcome, Isa. Get some rest now."

Isa sighed softly as his eyes sank shut, and Lea smoothed out his blankets and brushed his short blue hair back as he fell asleep.

"Thank you, Xavier." Lea said seriously "You didn't have to help us that night. Doing so put Taylor and Alexander in a lot of danger, so thank you."

"It should be me thanking you, for saving my life in the Keyblade Graveyard." Xavier said as he lightly ran his thumb across the back of Isa's hand.

Lea waved that off. "I couldn't let that geezer win, not after you'd risked so much to help Isa, so thanks. I mean it." Xavier smiled weakly and gave Isa's hand one last squeeze before he stepped out of the room and closed the door to find Taylor waiting for him.

"How long was I asleep?" he asked. Isa's drastic improvement couldn't have happened over night, so that could only mean that he had been out for a while.

"About three weeks." Taylor replied. "Personally, I'm shocked to see you up and moving so well after lying still for so long. Before we left Radiant Garden for here, Even told me that your heart had been damaged and that you would sleep until it healed, and he also said that once you woke, you would be fine, but I'm still surprised."

Xavier nodded; it didn't surprise him. Master Xehanort's knowledge, he assumed. "How is Isa doing overall then? He looks so much better."

Taylor smiled. "He is. The respiratory infection has mostly cleared, and his fever broke several days ago. I had to do a skin graft on his ankles and wrists, but those are healing nicely. He still has a long recovery ahead of him, and he may never get back to how strong he was before, but I'm confident that he'll be fine."

"I am very glad to hear that." He had Xehanort's memories of Isa as a quiet, collected teenager that was forever getting dragged into whatever mischief Lea had planned, namely sneaking into the castle. To think that he had been tossed into the castle's prison to rot was heartbreaking, and Xavier was suddenly glad that Even and Aeleus had thrown him in there that night.

Taylor clapped him on the shoulder. "I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning, Xavier. After all, you still have a year left in your apprenticeship, so no slacking off now. Now go home and spend time with your family." The old man pulled him into a hug, and Xavier returned it, and they stood there for a few moments before Taylor let go and went back into Isa's room.

Xavier left the hospital, but instead of going home, he wandered around the fields and town for a while. Many people were still out and about as the sun set, and Xavier watched them go about their business as he wandered idly through town. Children's laughter could be heard, as well as their parents voices calling them to come in for dinner/bath/bedtime. Other than a few damaged buildings, one couldn't tell what had happened, and he wondered briefly why Haven's Bridge appeared to be barely touched, while large parts of Radiant Garden were still in ruins.

It really didn't matter, he decided as he cut through the field to reach his family's farmhouse. The world was restored, they were home safe, and Master Xehanort was destroyed. That left just two more things to do.

He slowed his walk as the sun dipped below the tree line and stopped under the tree where Masa had found him in what seemed like a lifetime ago. His keyblade appeared in his hand, and though its appearance hadn't changed any, it looked less sinister, and it felt comfortable in his hand as he held it out in front of him as the wind kicked up around him and the tree. On the ground between two large roots, right where Braig had dropped him, a keyhole appeared in the grass, and he closed his eyes and pointed the keyblade at it. A second later, he felt the little beam of light fire from the tip, and he heard the sound of the world's heart locking away, never to be touched by the Heartless again. He opened his eyes as the wind died, and the keyhole faded and vanished from sight.

Dismissing the keyblade, he looked up at the starlit sky, towards where he somehow knew Twilight Town was at.

"I'll come for you soon, Jascha." he said to the sky, and then he walked across the field towards home.

**OOOOOO**

Xavier spent the next several days very busy. Isa still needed frequent care, and there were injuries and illnesses to deal with, many inflicted during the world's destruction. They were very short on supplies and other necessities, as the destruction had destroyed or scattered their stored crops, and Lea made frequent trips to other worlds to get what they would need to see them through the winter and early spring. He had to be careful; he didn't want anyone to follow him and find Isa or Xavier, so he had to venture pretty far out to stay away from the worlds and pathways that Sora and his friends visited. Not once did he complain, however. He and Isa had been welcomed in Haven's Bridge, and it was looking more and more that they were going to stay there permanently. Isa could never return home to Radian Garden, and Lea had no intention of leaving him.

He also made time to ward as many of the houses as possible. The castle that he, Eraqus, and Master Limahl had lived in had centuries of wards soaked into the stones, emplaced by every keyblade master that lived there. No Heartless could get through them until Master Xehanort destroyed the world along with the castle. Doing so tore the wards apart, which is why Heartless could appear at will in Castle Oblivion. Though he was technically not a keyblade master (Though he knew he could lay claim to the title if he wished. He had no desire to do so however.) he still knew how to create the wards. A keyblade wielder that lacked a safe place to rest didn't live long, and Limahl had taught them to him as soon as he had been deemed capable of casting them.

The wards that Xavier put around the houses were nowhere near as strong as the ones that the Land of Departure had once had, but they would help greatly in preventing the world from being overrun again by Heartless. Over time, they would gain strength as the families in the homes lived and loved. Light, innocence and positive emotion would strengthen them as time moved on, so, in the far future, they would be as powerful as the ones around the Land of Departure.

With everyone that was going on, it was nearly a month after waking up that Xavier was able to break away and go to Twilight Town. He had to wait until his mother was asleep; Jascha's loss had hit her hard, and she panicked if her children vanished from her sight for too long without knowing where they were at. He had informed Masa where he was going, but he hadn't said why, and his oldest brother said he would cover for him if need be. Taylor had also been told, and Lea had wished him good luck. The fire elemental had known what he was looking for.

Xavier made the long flight to Twilight Town without incident, and he landed in a quiet area of town, unseen by anyone. The streets were empty, and the clock tower informed him that it was still what passed for an early morning for the residents. That suited him just fine as he dismissed the glider and walked through town until he reached the hole in the wall that led to the mansion. A few Heartless bothered him on the way, but he made short work of them as he used his keyblade to open the gates and walk in.

The inside of the old building was quiet and falling into ruin, and Xavier reckoned that it wouldn't last another twenty years without some kind of restoration, but that wasn't important to him. He had come for one thing and one thing only, and he found it in one of the upper rooms. The white room was furnished only with a white table and two white chairs, and the walls were covered with drawings done in pencil and crayon: Naminé's work, he realized.

Standing in front of the window, looking through the sheer drapes at the forest was a single figure, and when he reached out with his senses, Xavier could detect no heart, yet the figure still had a human form.

A Higher Nobody, like Xemnas, Saïx, Axel, and the others had once been.

"Jascha," he said quietly as he stood in the doorway, and the figure turned to look at him.

"Xavier," his adoptive father said in a flat tone, and Xavier felt his own heart ache to hear the utter lack of emotion in the man's voice "You're alive."

Xavier felt tears burn at his eyes, but he blinked them away as he walked across the room. "I am." He wrapped his arms around the older man and laid his head on his shoulder. "And I am so glad to see you." After a moment, Jascha's arms came around him and returned the gesture, but there was no warmth in it. After a moment, he stepped back and wouldn't meet his son's eyes.

"There is something wrong with me, Xavier." he whispered "I feel empty, and I cannot feel, and I just feel so _incomplete_, and I don't know what it is or what to do about it."

"You have lost your heart, Jascha." Xavier explained gently "That is why you cannot feel. Those monsters that came took your heart, leaving only your body and soul behind."

"What can I do?"

"You can either return home with me and live as best you can without it, or we can try to reunite you with it right now."

"I will not go to your mother like this. I refuse to show her a lie. How do we take the second option?"

In response, Xavier pulled the man into a hug again, and as soon as his father returned the gesture, he whispered. "I'm sorry." and fired a ball of pure darkness through the man's back and into his physical heart, stopping it instantly. Jascha stiffened in his arms, and then he went limp as he began to dissolve into the darkness that had birthed him.

"This is the only way." Xavier said quietly as he stood by the window and held his father in his arms "The Nobody and the Heartless must be destroyed for them to be reborn as a complete person. When you find your heart, you will return home, and we will be there waiting for you."

Jascha looked up at him, his mouth moving soundlessly for a moment, before his eyes closed, and his body dissolved, leaving Xavier holding nothing but empty air.

He bowed his head, and a few tears slipped down his face to drip onto the floor. "Forgive me." he whispered, and he stood there for a long moment before he summoned his glider and opened a portal home.

He arrived home in the early morning, and he immediately went to Alexander's room. It was where Jascha had lost his heart, so it was where he would appear once he had regained it, but the room was empty and silent of all but Alexander and his quiet breathing. Xavier felt his eyes burn with tears again, but he hastily wiped them away. It was foolish of him to think that Jascha would appear so quickly. His Heartless likely hadn't been destroyed yet. With a heavy sigh, he pulled the covers up to Alexander's chin and kissed the sleeping child on the side of the head before he went to seek his own bed, though it took him quite a while to finally fall asleep.

He was still tired when he dragged himself out of bed a scant few hours later to begin his chores before heading out to meet Taylor at the hospital. Thankfully, most of their animals had come through okay, and Xavier mucked out the horses' stalls and fed them before he fed and watered the chickens and helped Masa and Akim pitch hay to their dairy cows. He then went inside to clean up and have breakfast. Elissa served up pancakes and sausage with cheer, though the cheer didn't quite reach her eyes.

It was as he was slipping on his boots and lab coat (While trying to banish the persistent feeling that he was forgetting his ascot.) when a surprised shriek came from upstairs, where his mother had gone just a few minutes before. Xavier, Masa, Akim, Heras, Jachin, and Yuta all looked at each other, and then they all ran for the stairs, with Xavier in the lead, keyblade at the ready. He reached Alexander's room in record time, but instead of Heartless, he found a very confused looking Jascha getting the life squeezed out of him by his wife of thirty years, while Alexander sat nearby, giggling. Xavier and his brothers stared in silence before Masa and the others practically screamed with joy and piled into the room. Xavier held back, checked that Jascha did indeed have his heart, and then he just watched, unsure if it was okay to approach, after what he had done to Jascha's Nobdoy.

After a moment, Jascha looked up from his family and saw Xavier hesitating in the doorway. He smiled and held his hand out, and Xavier's knees nearly collapsed from relief as he walked up and was engulfed in the man's strong arms.

"Thank you." Jascha whispered in his ear, and Xavier couldn't help the sob that broke free as relief washed over him. "Welcome home, son."

A wall inside Xavier broke at those three simple words, and he began to cry. His father held him and murmured soothingly to him, and he felt his mother and brothers gathering around them. He was home, they were all safe, and Master Xehanort was gone, never to trouble him again.

**OOOOOO**

Life continued on as normal on Haven's Bridge for the next few weeks. Isa was discharged from the hospital, and, upon hearing that Lea had saved Xavier's life in the battle against Master Xehanort, Elissa and Jascha offered him and Isa a place to stay until they could get things sorted out. It worked out fine because, although he was well enough to leave the hospital, Isa was still under doctor's care, and him being in the house allowed Xavier to monitor him closely. It also proved to be a source of much amusement because like the rest of the former Organization members, Isa retained his Nobody's powers. Akim's first – and only – attempt to prank the newest member of the house had ended quickly when he'd practically gotten a Claymore shoved up his nose. The rest of them had decided that pranking Isa wasn't worth it after that. Lea they left alone after seeing him light the fireplace with a flick of his fingers one night. Funny pranks weren't worth getting singed over, it seemed.

Shortly after the first snow, Isa took his first steps in over two years, assisted by Lea and Xavier, while Taylor watched closely. The rest of the family cheered him on and applauded him once he had made it into the dining room, and Lea and Xavier eased him down into a chair at the table. By then he was a healthy weight, and the infection that had raged in his lungs was clear, though the damage it had caused left him susceptible to future infections. He still tired quickly as well, so after dinner, Lea carried him to bed.

After Xavier and Taylor checked on him and made sure that he was warm and safe under his blankets, Taylor returned to his own home, and Xavier went to his own room to spend a quiet evening reading. It wasn't until he was getting ready for bed himself that he felt Terra stir.

Terra had been quiet since the battle against Master Xehanort. Xavier had tried to speak to him many times, but each time there had been no response. He knew Terra was still there, but it was almost like he was asleep. So when he felt Terra stirring, he hastily sat up in bed and placed his hand over his chest where Terra's heart was resting aside his own. As soon as he did, a wave of sadness engulfed him.

"Terra?"

He heard what sounded like sniffling – was Terra crying? - and then: _I want to go home..._

Xavier felt a stab of pain in his own heart. "Terra..." He had forgotten all about that. He had not spoken to Aqua or been back to Castle Oblivion since before the battle, and he hadn't seen Ventus at all. It was no surprise that Terra was upset, but what could he do? Surrender control and let him take his body back?

_No! _Terra said vehemently _Never that!_

"Then what do you want me to do, Terra?"

…_. I don't know..._

"I don't want to keep you in there forever."

Terra said nothing, and after a moment, Xavier felt him settle down and go back to sleep. Xavier tried to do the same, but instead he only stared at the ceiling until the dawn brightened the room.

**OOOOOO**

Between Isa's care and the world's destruction, they were low on medical supplies, and Xavier and Taylor discussed how to get more, since they were going to need them for the upcoming winter, and their usual methods of getting them were currently lost to them. It was Lea that suggested that they get the from offworld, and shortly afterward, he took a trip to Radiant Garden (with stops in many other worlds on the way to confuse anyone capable of tracking portals through the Corridors of Darkness.) and returned in short order with Even in tow.

Since Vexen had been the Organization's medical person, with Zexion acting as his assistant, Even had assumed control of the castle infirmary at Radiant Garden, so he had easy access to suppliers. He sat down with them and compiled a list of things they needed, and while they were doing that, Xavier asked if Ienzo was acting as assistant like Zexion had once done.

"No," Even replied without looking up from the clipboard that he was writing on "Vexen does that."

Xavier gave him an odd look. "Vexen?"

Even raised his eyes to look at him and paused in his writing. "Do you remember the Vexen Replicas?"

"Of course."

"One of them survived, and I found him a few months after I was reborn and took him in." Even smiled. "I am so glad that I did. He was very ill when I found him and likely wouldn't have lived much longer. All of us, when we were reborn as our complete selves, suffered from strong feelings of disassociation, like we were disconnected from reality, or were dreaming. The only way to deal with it was to have something to focus on, so when Ienzo suggested that I go back to Castle Oblivion and see if there was anything of Vexen's that might interest me, I agreed, though I wasn't expecting to find one of his Replicas." He smiled again and stood up. "I'll get back to you with some of this within a few days. Some of the items may take a while, but I'll see what I can do to hasten it for you."

Taylor stood as well and shook the scientist's hand. "Thank you, Even. You've no idea how much of a help this will be."

"I'll get back to you as soon as I can." the blond said, and then he portaled out. Like Lea he would bounce to many other worlds before returning to Radiant Garden, to make it harder to trace where he had gone, and also like Lea, he wore his Nobody's Organization coat to protect his heart from the darkness that filled the Corridors. Xavier idly thought that he should look into getting one or two of Xemnas' coats (Though he would have to get the size adjusted since he was built much like Xehanort had been, leaner and less muscular than Xemnas.) just in case when Taylor asked him a question:

"What is a Replica?"

"A Replica is an exact copy of someone, down to the DNA. Vexen learned how to create them about a year or so before he died, and he created several of them, most of himself, though there were a couple that were of different people."

"So do they have their own mind?"

"Oh yes, they have their own mind, their own free will, their own soul, and their own heart, though if you want, you can capture a free roaming heart and use it..." Xavier trailed off as a sudden thought crossed his mind.

"Xavier?"

"Oh sorry, something just occurred to me. Are we done here for the day?"

"Yes we are. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning after you give Isa his physical therapy for the day."

"Alright, see you then. Goodnight Taylor."

"Goodnight Xavier."

Xavier stepped out into the cold night air, but instead of taking the quicker route home, he opted to take the longer one, through the fields and past the tree where Braig had abandoned him. Once he reached the tree, he leaned against the rough bark of the trunk and looked up through the bare branches up at the sky, at the small pinprick of light that was Radiant Garden, where Even and Vexen were.

He smiled and placed his hand over his chest and felt his own heart, as well as Terra's.

"Soon, Terra." he said with another smile, and then he stood up and walked across the frozen ground towards the lights that beckoned on the other side, towards home.

**OOOOOO**

**Oh my god! It's DONE! Now just because that's the end of Burning Heart that doesn't mean it's the end of the story. There will be a one-shot follow up to this, as well as one-shot side story, though I'm not sure when those two will be up. I go on vacation here in a week or so, and I don't know for sure how much internet I'll have access to. There's also a couple other fics competing for my attention right now, so I guess I'll see what happens next. **

**Thanks for reading. :)**


End file.
